title: Esophageal perforations.
abstract: The incidence of esophageal perforation (EP) has risen with the increasing use of endoscopic procedures, which are currently the most frequent causes of EP. Despite decades of clinical experience, innovations in surgical technique and advances in intensive care management, EP still represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. EP is a devastating event and mortality hovers close to 20%. Ambiguous presentations leading to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment and the difficulties in management are responsible for the high morbidity and mortality rates. A high variety of treatment options are available ranging from observational medical therapy to radical esophagectomy. The potential role of interventional endoscopy and the use of stents for the treatment of EP seem interesting but remain to be evaluated. Surgical primary repair, with or without reinforcement, is the preferred approach in patients with EP. Prognosis is mainly determined by the cause, the location of the injury and the delay between perforation and initiation of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale, digestive et endocrinienne, hôpital Saint-Louis, 1, avenue Claude-Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chirica
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Champault
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dray
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sulpice
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Munoz-Bongrand
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sarfati
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cattan
mesh_terms: D003646:Debridement; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004322:Drainage; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System / Q000009:adverse effects; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D004939:Esophageal Perforation / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D011379:Prognosis; D015607:Stents; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D015996:Survival Rate; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D000072663:Spontaneous Perforation