Abstract
Spontaneous rupture of the esophagus still remains a life-threatening disorder, requiring urgent surgical intervention. Although primary closure of the perforation site is considered, poor general conditions of the patient and fragility of the lacerated esophageal wall make the procedure very dangerous. We performed transthoracic T-tube esophagostomy with thoracic drainage using thoracoscopic and endoscopic techniques for two elderly poor-risk patients. After the fistula formation was accomplished, the T-tube was removed inward to the stomach via gastrostomy and replaced by a straight thoracic tube, phased out slowly. This method is simple and less-invasive without need for time-consuming deep-site measures, nor differential lung ventilation, and can be a reliable alternative in treatment of esophageal perforation.
