Esophageal perforation in an infant: repair with a pleural flap.
Most esophageal perforations regardless of cause, should be treated surgically. Since anatomic features of the esophagus make even small rents difficult to close, a variety of technics have been developed. Flaps of pleura have been used in adults, but to our knowledge this technic has not been previously described in infants. We used a local pleural flap for successful closure of a large esophageal perforation in a 2-week-old infant. Rapid healing occurred without stricture.
D004939:Esophageal Perforation / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D010994:Pleura; D013524:Surgical Flaps