Published online Jun 25, 1996. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v2.i2.101
Revised: May 17, 1996
Accepted: June 10, 1996
Published online: June 25, 1996
AIM: To study the diagnosis and therapy of esophageal perforation in the aged.
METHODS: Three-hundred-and-thirty-five elderly patients undergoing endoscopy or therapeutic esophageal dilation in our hospital between July 1988 and August 1995 were studied retrospectively. Of these patients, 31 had esophageal perforation, 17 of whom were treated nonsurgically (nasogastric drainage, antibiotics, and intravenous alimentation), 8 underwent total esophagectomy, and 6 received surgical drainage.
RESULTS: Sixteen of 31 patients with esophageal perforation were cured. Of the patients in whom the perforation healed, 9 had persistent dysphagia while swallowing solid foods. Six patients died. The cure rate was 51.6% and the mortality rate was 19.4%.
CONCLUSION: Aged people are subject to esophageal perforation. The main typical symptoms of esophageal perforation are chest pain, shortness of breath and dysphagia; It is not difficult to make a correct diagnosis, but early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to the saving the patient’s life.