An autopsy case of spontaneous esophageal perforation (Boerhaave syndrome)

Esophageal perforation was first described by a Dutch physician, Hermann Boerhaave, in 1724 [1]. Esophageal perforations, which are usually categorized according to cause, include (1) iatrogenic, (2) spontaneous, (3) traumatic, (4) foreign-body, and (5) disease-related perforations [2]. Spontaneous perforations are also known as Boerhaave ’s syndrome, which occurs abruptly on an otherwise healthy esophagus. Based on the population survey data by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, 0.0192% of all deaths in 2014 were caused by esophageal diseases, and esophageal perforations accounted for 25.4% of esophageal diseases [3].
Source: Legal Medicine - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Tags: Case report Source Type: research