title: Conservative management for an esophageal perforation in a patient presented with delayed diagnosis: a case report review of the literature.
abstract: Esophageal perforation is a serious condition with a high mortality rate. Successful therapy depends on the size of the rupture; the time elapsed between rupture and diagnosis, and the underlying health of the patient. Common causes of esophageal perforation include medical instrumentation, foreign-body ingestion, and trauma. A case of esophageal perforation due to fish bone ingestion in a 67-year-old male is described here, with a review of the pertinent literature. The patient presented with chest pain, fever and right-sided pleural effusion. Initial evaluation was nondiagnostic. The water-soluble contrast swallow test showed no evidence of leakage. Computed tomography scan demonstrated a pneumomediastinum, and right-sided hydropneumothorax. The patient was successfully treated using conservative measures.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, George Papanikolaou Str, Thessaloniki, 57010, Greece. ctsalis@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsalis
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blouhos
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kapetanos
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kontakiotis
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lazaridis