Corrosive ingestion is a rare but potentially devastating event and, despite the availability of effective preventive public health strategies, injuries continue to occur. Most clinicians have limited personal experience and rely on guidelines; however, uncertainty persists about best clinical practice. Ingestions range from mild cases with no injury to severe cases with full thickness necrosis of the oesophagus and stomach. CT scan is superior to traditional endoscopy for stratification of patients to emergency resection or observation. Oesophageal stricture is a common consequence of ingestion and newer stents show some promise; however, the place of endoscopic stenting for corrosive strictures is yet to be defined. We summarise the evidence to provide a plan for managing these potentially life-threatening injuries and discuss the areas where further research is required to improve outcomes.
The incidence of esophageal perforation (EP) has risen with the increasing use of endoscopic procedures, which are currently the most frequent causes of EP. Despite decades of clinical experience, innovations in surgical technique and advances in intensive care management, EP still represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. EP is a devastating event and mortality hovers close to 20%. Ambiguous presentations leading to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment and the difficulties in management are responsible for the high morbidity and mortality rates. A high variety of treatment options are available ranging from observational medical therapy to radical esophagectomy. The potential role of interventional endoscopy and the use of stents for the treatment of EP seem interesting but remain to be evaluated. Surgical primary repair, with or without reinforcement, is the preferred approach in patients with EP. Prognosis is mainly determined by the cause, the location of the injury and the delay between perforation and initiation of therapy.
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