A Case of Black Esophagus

Abstract

Acute esophageal necrosis, commonly known as black esophagus, is a serious clinical condition that requires prompt diagnosis and management to improve morbidity and mortality. We present a 47-year-old woman who had this potentially lethal condition. The patient initially presented with hematemesis, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy at presentation showed diffuse esophageal ulcerations, erosions, and necrosis. During her admission, she required multiple blood transfusions for active bleeding, after which her clinical condition stabilized. Repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed near-complete resolution of the earlier findings.

Gurvits Syndrome: Black Esophagus in the Postoperative Setting

“…The black esophagus is a rare clinical condition most commonly involving the distal part of the esophagus [1,4]. It is mostly seen in the elderly usually in the sixth decade with a male predominance of 2.3:1 [8].…”

“…Stricture formation is also seen in the chronic phase of the disease in some patients. Patients who present with a critical illness have a high rate of mortality [1,2]. The mortality of esophageal necrosis ranges from 30% to 50% depending upon the etiology [4].…”

“…The "black esophagus" or "acute esophageal necrosis" is a very rare condition of the esophagus that is believed to have a multifactorial etiology and usually involves the distal esophagus [1]. The most common presentation is upper gastrointestinal bleed.…”

Sudden Esophageal Necrosis and Mediastinitis Associated with Invasive Candidiasis: A Case Report

“…On some occasions, spontaneous resolution has been described with no additional complications and is associated with healing changes visualized on endoscopic examination and usually occurs within the first 2 weeks after the first image is taken [ 10 , 19 , 25 ]. On the other hand, cases related to invasive infection by Candida sp.…”

Into the dark of the black oesophagus

“…The multifactorial etiology of the development of AEN remains unknown [5,7,12,14,15], although acid reflux and hypoperfusion are thought to be main underlying causes [12,16]. Treatment of AEN is mostly supportive and consists on haemodynamic resuscitation, intravenous proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), oral sucralfate suspension, short-term parenteral renutrition, and nil-per-os restriction [4,12,[17][18][19]. Early diagnosis is crucial to increase the chance of survival rates, and in the case of lack of comorbidities, the outcome is advantageous [2,14,18].…”