Ruptures can be caused by surgical procedures, severe vomiting, or swallowing a large piece of food that becomes stuck in the esophagus, but some ruptures occur spontaneously.
Symptoms include chest and abdominal pain, fever, and low blood pressure.
Esophageal rupture can be fatal.
The diagnosis is based on the results of x-rays.
Treatment is surgical repair.
The esophagus Throat and Esophagus The throat (pharynx—see also Throat) lies behind and below the mouth. When food and fluids leave the mouth, they pass through the throat. Swallowing of food and fluids begins voluntarily and... read more is the hollow tube that leads from the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. (See also Overview of the Esophagus Overview of the Esophagus The esophagus is the hollow tube that leads from the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. Food does not just fall through the esophagus into the stomach. The walls of the esophagus propel food to... read more and Overview of Esophageal Injuries Overview of Esophageal Injuries The esophagus (the hollow tube that leads from the throat to the stomach) is rather difficult to injure but it can be injured gradually by backflow of acid from the stomach (gastroesophageal... read more .)
Rupture of the esophagus is a very serious condition that is usually caused during endoscopy Endoscopy Endoscopy is an examination of internal structures using a flexible viewing tube (endoscope). Endoscopy can also be used to treat many disorders because doctors are able to pass instruments... read more (examination of the esophagus with a flexible viewing tube) or other procedures in which instruments are inserted through the mouth and throat. Ruptures also may occur during vomiting, retching, or swallowing a large piece of food that becomes stuck in the esophagus. Such rupture is called Boerhaave syndrome. Some ruptures occur spontaneously, especially in people who have untreated eosinophilic esophagitis Eosinophilic Esophagitis Eosinophilic esophagitis is an inflammatory disorder in which the wall of the esophagus becomes filled with large numbers of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. This disorder may be caused... read more .
An esophageal rupture allows air, stomach acid, and/or food to leave the esophagus, which causes severe inflammation in the chest (mediastinitis Mediastinitis Mediastinitis is inflammation of the mediastinum (the chest cavity, which contains the heart, the thymus gland, some lymph nodes, and parts of the esophagus, aorta, thyroid, and parathyroid... read more ). Fluid may collect around the lungs, a condition called pleural effusion Pleural Effusion Pleural effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space (the area between the two layers of the thin membrane that covers the lungs). Fluid can accumulate in the pleural... read more 
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Symptoms of Esophageal Ruptures
Symptoms of rupture of the esophagus include chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, vomiting blood, low blood pressure, and fever.
Diagnosis of Esophageal Ruptures
X-rays of the chest and abdomen
Esophagography
To diagnose ruptures of the esophagus, doctors take x-rays of the chest and abdomen.
Doctors confirm the diagnosis by doing esophagography. In this test, doctors take an x-ray or video of the esophagus after the person swallows a liquid (a contrast agent Radiographic Contrast Agents During imaging tests, contrast agents may be used to distinguish one tissue or structure from its surroundings or to provide greater detail. Contrast agents include Radiopaque contrast agents... read more ) that makes the lining of the esophagus visible on the x-ray. They must use a special type of contrast agent that does not irritate the chest cavity.
Treatment of Esophageal Ruptures
Surgical repair
Surgical repair of the esophagus and drainage of the area surrounding it are done immediately. Before surgical repair, doctors give broad-spectrum antibiotics to prevent infection and fluids by vein (intravenously) to treat low blood pressure.
Even with treatment, the risk of death is high.
