Conservative treatment in Boerhaave’s syndrome

case report

Abstract

The Boerhaave syndrome (spontaneous esophageal rupture) is difficult to diagnose because it does not present specific clinical manifestations, and its symptoms can suggest other diseases. It presents high mortality rates and the main factor for this adverse ending is the delay between the esophageal perforation and the proper treatment. Imaging is primordial for the diagnostic elucidation, which contribute for the early treatment. Many forms of treatment are well described in the literature: endoscopic, surgical, or conservative. Surgery is still considered the goldstandard in most of the cases. However, despite the few cases described in the literature, the conservative management, without the need of surgery, can be successfully indicated for a determined group of patients. We report a case of a patient with Boerhaave syndrome treated conservatively with success. The conservative treatment of the esophageal perforation is a good alternative for some patients e must have a precise indication to be successful.