Abstract
The mortality and morbidity rates associated with spontaneous esophageal perforation remain high because of the difficulty in diagnosis and thus treatment of the disease are frequently delayed. The disorder's presentation is non-specific, and its management remains controversial. We report a case ofspontaneous esophageal perforation, in which the patient was successfully treated by T-tube drainage of the esophagus. The patient was initially diagnosed by thoracocentesis as having hemopneumothorax, but after admission, the correct diagnosis was made by esophagography. He underwent an emergency operation 12 hours after the onset of symptoms. The tissue surrounding the perforation was dirty, edematous, and not well-vascularized, so T-tube drainage of the esophagus, mediastinal and left thoracic drainage, and gastrostomy were performed. The T-tube was removed 2 months after surgery. T-tube drainage is useful for the management of spontaneous esophageal perforation, especially when primary closure is not suitable.
