Corrosive Burns of the Oesophagus and their Treatment

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Abstract
A total of 342 corrosive burns of the oesophagus have been treated during a period of ten years. Of the burns, 55 % occurred in children under 3 years, and two-thirds of these were boys. Otherwise the sex incidence was about equal. The corrosive was swallowed accidentally in 290 cases, in suicidal attempt in 52 cases (successful in 15 cases). Of those who tried to commit suicide, 43 were women and 12 of them died. Lye solution was used in 44 cases of attempted suicide. The line of therapy followed in cases of fresh oesophageal burns was preventive dilatation with a 14 mm gastric tube or Hurst bougie. Preventive dilatation was usually done every three days. If there were signs of incipient stricture formation in the oesophagus, bougienage, performed twice weekly, was adopted instead of preventive dilatation. This treatment had the following results: Good, 86.8 %; fair, 3.5 %; poor, 1.5%; died, 6.7%; and untreated 1.5%. The results of follow-up examination were fairly similar: Good, 86.5 %; fair, 11.7%; poor, 1.8%.

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