Fifteen patients with esophageal perforation were treated at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovacular Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital during the period from June, 1985 to September, 1995. The ratio between male and female
patients was
9:6, their age ranged from 19 years to 71 years old(av erage:49 years old). The causes od the perforation were various, spontaneous in 4 cases, foreign body in 4 cases, instrumental trauma in 3 cases, chest trauma in l case, drug ingestion
(cholrocalchi)induced in l case, tracheostomy induced in l case, unknown in l case. The perforation sites were intrathoracic esophagus in 9 cases and cervical in 6 cases. The Patients complained of chest or cervical pain in ll cases, fever in 9
cases,
dysphagia in 8 cases and dyspnea in 5 cases. We have performed the following surgical procedures:incision and drainage, primary repair, gastrostomy for cervcal esophageal perforation and primary repair repair, primary repair and pleural flap
reinforcement, gastrostomy for thoracic esophageal perforation. A patient died of sepsis.
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