Boerhaave syndrome treated conservatively following early endoscopic diagnosis: a case report

Abstract

We report on a 41-year-old man with hematemesis and severe epigastric pain. Three hours after the onset of symptoms, we carefully performed upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for suspected upper gastrointestinal perforation. Endoscopy revealed a 2.5-cm-long longitudinal laceration of the lower esophagus without active gastric or duodenal ulcers. The laceration could be partially closed with endoscopic clipping. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a small amount of extraluminal air in the mediastinum. Neither pleural effusion nor pneumothorax was detected. We treated the patient conservatively on the basis of the following factors: a stable general condition without sepsis, limitation of the esophageal disruption to the mediastinum, and early diagnosis. The treatment course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged from the hospital after we had confirmed with endoscopy that the esophageal ulcer was completely healed. Although Boerhaave syndrome is generally considered to have poor prognosis, conservative therapy may be effective in select cases with early detection of the perforation.