The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 19, 216-230, Copyright © 1975 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Esophageal injury
RJ Jones and PC Samson
This review considers all possible modes of esophageal injury, based on a
schema originally published in 1954 and more recently modified in 1970. For
each category of injury there are detailed discussions of diagnosis and
treatment. The best available knowledge of present-day modalities has been
based on a survey of the literature for the past decade. When diverse
methods of treatment were encountered, we have made comments consistent
with our personal experience, when appropriate. The medicolegal literature
contains a number of references to esophaegeal injury. Certain excerpts
dealing with several types of potential actions are extracted: (1) suits to
recover damages for esophageal perforation in which negligent endoscopy was
claimed; (2) suits following endoscopic accidents in which lack of informed
consent was claimed; and (3) suits for professional liability based on
misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or wrong treatment of esophaegeal
perforation.