Abstract
An 82-year-old man was urgently admitted to our hospital due to severe chest pain of unknown etiology. On chest computed tomography (CT), the characteristic findings of extraesophageal emphysema and pleural effusion were found bilaterally . Therefore, a diagnosis of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus was made. And 16 hours after onset the patient was surgically treated via the trans-abdominal approach. As well, intraoperative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was done to close the esophageal perforation using metallic clips. The patient recovered well and was discharged 74 day postsurgey. In aging society, one can continue to expect an increased number of high risk patients who can develop various complications postsurgey. Therefore spontaneous esophageal rupture should be treated with conservative or minimally invasive endoscopic approaches.
