Severe benign esophageal stricture following postoperative emesis

Abstract

An 80-year-old man presented with dysphagia after surgery for a hepatic tumor. In the postoperative period, he suffered from emesis and thereafter experienced dysphagia when taking a solid meal. The cause of his dysphagia was a benign lower esophageal stricture that had not been detected during preoperative examinations. Conservative treatment involving balloon dilatation was not effective, and the patient fi nally underwent a lower esophagectomy with reconstruction of the jejunum interposition from a left thoraco-abdominal approach. Based on his clinical manifestations, pathological fi ndings, and published reports, we suggested that he suffered an incomplete esophageal perforation after emesis that led to esophageal stricture as a result of fi brosis of the esophageal wall. This rare case demonstrates that an esophageal injury caused by postoperative emesis can result in a benign esophageal stricture.