Background
Esophageal perforation is a rare but life-threatening
condition1. Early detection and diagnosis are
important to ensure good patient outcomes. At least half of esophageal
perforations are iatrogenic, oftentimes caused by endoscopic
instrumentation use in the upper gastrointestinal
tract1. Still, about a third of esophageal
perforations are spontaneous1. The scientific evidence
that steers management of esophageal perforation is based primarily upon
retrospective studies at single institutions, as well as on a few
nationwide studies1-8. Randomized studies are
virtually non-existent1. The case that we present is
of a patient that developed spontaneous esophageal perforation following
irrigation and drainage of a retropharyngeal abscess.