title: Early operation for severe corrosive injury of the upper gastrointestinal tract.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe our experience of treating severe corrosive burns of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Open study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital, France.
  
  
  METHODS
  18 patients who had swallowed an alkaline substance (caustic soda in 10 cases) and 4 who had swallowed either hydrochloric or sulphuric acid.
  
  
  METHODS
  Endoscopy was done a mean of 4 hours after the substance had been swallowed. 10 patients underwent oesophagogastrectomy without thoracotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  4 of the 10 patients died and 3 developed postoperative complications. Of the 12 patients treated by feeding jejunostomy 7 developed stenosis that required operation and 3 developed stenosis that responded to dilatation. None of the 12 died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early oesophagoscopy allowed optimal management. Patients died if they swallowed more than 60 ml of a strong alkaline substance. When patients are treated conservatively about half will develop stenoses that require operation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hôpital de la Conception, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berthet
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castellani
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Brioche
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Assadourian
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gauthier
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000009:adverse effects; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002424:Caustics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D004947:Esophagus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007582:Jejunostomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013270:Stomach / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D002424:Caustics