RESUMEN
Boerhaave syndrome, or spontaneous rupture of the esophagus, is a complication of violent vomiting. Although the syndrome is rare, awareness of it is important because delayed or missed diagnosis can be fatal. Radiographic imaging, particularly computed tomography, is the mainstay of diagnosis, and endoscopy generally does not play a role. We present a case of Boerhaave syndrome diagnosed by computed tomography that was complemented by endoscopic direct visualization to optimize surgical management. True Boerhaave syndrome is extremely rare, and rarer still is an endoscopic view of a known full-thickness tear of the esophagus.
Asunto(s)
Cateterismo/instrumentación , Endoscopios Gastrointestinales/efectos adversos , Hemoperitoneo/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Intestinales/secundario , Intestino Delgado , Melanoma/secundario , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Cutáneas/diagnóstico , Dolor Abdominal/etiología , Anciano , Cateterismo/efectos adversos , Humanos , Neoplasias Intestinales/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Intestinales/cirugía , Intestino Delgado/patología , Intestino Delgado/cirugía , Masculino , Melanoma/diagnóstico , Melanoma/cirugía , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Cutáneas/cirugía , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Retrograde double-balloon enteroscopy (rDBE) is technically a different procedure from its antegrade counterpart. Its unique indications, success rate, and learning curve have not been specifically reported. OBJECTIVE: To examine technical issues specific to the rDBE approach. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Single tertiary-care center. PATIENTS: All patients referred for rDBE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Procedure duration, technical success, learning curve, and complications related to rDBE. RESULTS: A total of 59 rDBEs were performed on 56 patients for obscure GI bleeding (46.4%), metastatic carcinoids (23.2%), Crohn's disease (14.3%), and other indications. rDBE enabled a diagnosis in 47.5% of procedures and had a 38% diagnostic rate in finding primary small-bowel lesions that were responsible for metastatic carcinoids. The mean (standard deviation) total procedure time was 111.3 +/- 39.9 minutes. Procedure failure occurred in 12 cases (21%), which is significantly more than reported with antegrade procedures (2%). Failure was more common among patients with a prior abdominal or pelvic surgery (P = .001), and the time to achieve a stable ileal intubation was prolonged in these patients (13.9 vs 38.1 minutes; P = .0006). A trend was noted toward successful small-bowel access and increased lengths of small bowel examined after 20 procedures were performed. LIMITATIONS: Small retrospective study. CONCLUSIONS: rDBE is effective for the evaluation and the treatment of lower small-intestinal lesions; however, maintaining access through the ileocecal valve may be difficult. Prior surgery may be an important factor associated with failure. A minimum of 20 rDBE procedures was needed to minimize procedure failure, examine a substantial segment of the small-bowel, and shorten procedure duration.