Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 3;25(1):272.
doi: 10.1186/s12893-025-03027-z.

Surgical management and outcomes of corrosive esophageal injuries: a prospective study from Sana'a, Yemen

Mohammed Mohammed Al-Shehari  1   2 , Yasser Abdurabo Obadiel  1   2 , Ahmed Hamood Al-Helali  2 , Haitham Mohammed Jowah  3   4
Affiliations

Surgical management and outcomes of corrosive esophageal injuries: a prospective study from Sana'a, Yemen

Mohammed Mohammed Al-Shehari et al. BMC Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Corrosive esophageal injuries pose a significant health burden in resource-limited settings like Yemen. This study evaluated the demographic patterns, clinical presentations, management strategies, and outcomes of patients with corrosive esophageal injuries at a tertiary hospital in Sana’a, Yemen.

Methods: This prospective single-center study at Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen (January 2021–June 2024) enrolled 22 patients with corrosive esophageal injuries. Data on demographics, corrosive agents, clinical features, endoscopic findings, management, and outcomes were analyzed using chi-square tests and ANOVA (p < 0.05).

Results: The mean patient age was 24.7 ± 17.0 years, with 40.9% (n = 9) under 20 years. Accidental ingestion, primarily acidic agents (68.2%, n = 15), accounted for 90.9% (n = 20) of the cases. Dysphagia was the most common symptom (90.9%, n = 20). Endoscopy revealed Grade 2B injuries in 59.1% (n = 13), using the endoscope unable to pass in 13.6% (n = 3). Strictures developed in 36.4% (n = 8) of patients. Endoscopic dilation (ED) was attempted in 77.3% (n = 17), achieving durable symptomatic improvement in 58.8% (n = 10/17). Surgical interventions, including colonic conduit (n = 6) and gastric pull-up (n = 2), were performed in 36.4% (n = 8). Complications occurred in 45.5% (n = 10), and mortality was 13.6% (n = 3), significantly associated with suicidal ingestion (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Corrosive esophageal injuries in Yemen, mostly accidental, affect younger patients and result in high morbidity (45.5%). ED is effective for single strictures, but severe cases often require surgery. Gastric pull-up appeared to have lower complications than colonic conduit in this small cohort, although larger studies are needed to confirm this trend. The elevated mortality rate among suicidal cases highlights the need for mental health support. The small sample size (n = 22) and single-center design limit generalizability, necessitating larger multicenter studies to optimize management strategies.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12893-025-03027-z.

Keywords: Acidic agents; Corrosive esophageal injuries; Endoscopic dilation; Esophagectomy; Gastric pull-up; Stricture formation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital in Sana’a, Yemen (IRB-TMGH-2022-013). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians before study inclusion. The consent process involved a detailed explanation of the study purpose, procedures, potential risks (e.g., endoscopic perforation < 1–5% and surgical complications 10–30%), and benefits (e.g., improved swallowing). Participants were also informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time, without prejudice. Mitigation strategies for potential risks include comprehensive preoperative assessments, procedures performed by experienced clinicians, availability of emergency care, and diligent post-operative monitoring. For participants with psychiatric conditions (9.1%, n = 2), additional informed consent was obtained for potential mental-health referrals. All patient data were anonymized, and confidentiality was maintained in strict accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Consent for publication: Not applicable. This manuscript does not contain any individual data (including details, images, or videos) that require specific consent for publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Hsu W-C, Cheng H-T, Lin C-T, Lin J-H, Chiu H-Y, Yu W-P, et al. Factors affecting quality of life among patients with corrosive injury. Medicine. 2024;103:e36853. 10.1097/MD.0000000000036853. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mahmoudvand Z, Shanbehzadeh M, Shafiee M, Kazemi-Arpanahi H. Developing the minimum data set of the corrosive ingestion registry system in Iran. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022;22:1207. 10.1186/s12913-022-08576-0. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ertekin C, Alimoglu O, Akyildiz H, Guloglu R, Taviloglu K. The results of caustic ingestions. Hepatogastroenterology. 2004;51:1397–400. - PubMed
    1. Chirica M, Bonavina L, Kelly MD, Sarfati E, Cattan P. Caustic ingestion. Lancet. 2017;389:2041–52. 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30313-0. - PubMed
    1. Fürst H, Hartl WH, Löhe F, Schildberg FW. Colon interposition for esophageal replacement. Ann Surg. 2000;231:173–8. 10.1097/00000658-200002000-00004. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources