Abstract
A case of esophageal perforation caused by a fish bone associated with pneumothorax is reported.
A 57 years old male was admitted to our hospital, complaining of anterior chest pain and dyspnea. He was in normal health until the evening of the admittion, when suddenly severe chest pain developed in the anterior chest on ingestion of a fish bone. Two hours later he felt also dyspnea, so he visited our hospital. Physical examination revealed cyanosis and cervical subcutaneous emphysema. The right hemithorax was tympanitic to percussion and breath sounds decreased. Chest X-ray and computed tomography revealed mediastinal emphysema and right pneumothorax. Fiberoptic esophagoscopy showed a fish bone in the esophagus with the fixed ends in the directions of 3 and 10 deg respectively, at 20 cm distant from the incisor. After the fish bone was removed, conservative treatment such as fasting, infusion, chemotherapy and tube thoracostomy were carried out. The patient's hospital course was satisfactory and uncomplicated.
