Esophageal perforation associated with fracture of the upper thoracic spine from blunt trauma: a case report

We report the successful conservative management of an unusual case of esophageal perforation associated with an upper thoracic spinal fracture from blunt trauma in Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan. A 69-year-old man became paraplegic secondary to an L1 burst fracture caused by a boating accident and underwent posterior fixation on the day of admission. The patient also had a minimally displaced T4 vertebral fracture. Fever, dyspnea and elevated inflammatory markers all persisted postoperatively. Computed tomography showed free mediastinal air at the T4 level, and an esophagram showed contrast medium leakage, which helped diagnose esophageal perforation. The esophageal perforation healed with conservative treatment without life-threatening complications. The possibility of esophageal injury should always be considered when treating upper thoracic spinal injuries due to blunt trauma.