Esophageal perforation

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Digestive system

Digestive system organs

Esophageal perforation

Definition:

An esophageal perforation is a hole in the esophagus, the tube through which food passes from the mouth to the stomach.

Alternative Names:
Perforation of the esophagus
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

A perforation is a hole through which the contents of the esophagus can pass into the mediastinum, the surrounding area in the chest. This often results in infection of the mediastinum (mediastinitis).

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The most common cause of an esophageal perforation is injury during a medical procedure such as esophagoscopy (a procedure to examine the esophagus) or placement of a naso-gastric tube.

The esophagus may also become perforated as the result of a tumor, gastric reflux with ulceration, other disease process, a mechanical problem such as violent retching, or swallowing a foreign object or caustic chemicals.

Less common causes include injuries from penetrating or blunt trauma, and injury to the esophagus during an operation on another organ near the esophagus. Rare cases have also been associated with childbirth, defecation, seizures, heavy lifting, and forceful swallowing.