Diagnosis and treatment of late spontaneous esophageal rupture: a report of 10 cases

Abstract

Objective To summarize and analyze the clinical features, diagnostic methods and treatment measures of patients with advanced spontaneous esophageal rupture. Methods Retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics of 10 patients with advanced spontaneous esophageal rupture was conducted. Results The average age of the patients was 49.3 years old.The average time of diagnosis was 82.6 hours.The cause of onset was drastic vomiting except for one case falling down.The main clinical manifestations were chest pain, abdominal pain, and shortness of breath, fever and elevation of hemogram, pleural effusion appeared in all patients, 1 case was not treated in time, and 9 cases of the first checks were delayed for diagnosis and treatment in other specialties.Conservative treatment(closed thoracic drainage, gastrointestinal decompression, enteral nutrition support and antimicrobial therapy) was given to all patients.All 10 cases were cured by conservative treatment, the average time of hospitalization was 49.4 days, followed up for 2 years, no chronic empyema, stricture of the esophagus and reflux esophagitis were observed. Conclusion Late spontaneous rupture of the esophagus is caused by delays in the diagnosis and treatment of the esophagus, the effect of comprehensive conservative treatment is satisfactory. Key words: Esophageal perforation; Pleural effusion; Chest pain; Abdominal pain; Treatment outcome