Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2009 Oct;42(5):657-661.

Intramural Dissection and Mucosal Laceration of the Esophagus in a Patient Who Was on Antiplatelets Medication : A case report

• Kim KH
• Kuh JH
• Lee JM

Abstract

Intramural esophageal dissection is a rare disorder that's characterized by a lengthy laceration between the mucosal and submucosal layers of the esophageal wall, and the esophageal wall is without perforation. The three different types of acute esophageal injury are a mucosal tear (Mallory-Weiss syndrome), full-thickness rupture (Boerhaave's syndrome) and intramural esophageal dissection. Most intramural esophageal dissections respond to conservative management with a very good prognosis. This rare condition should be considered in patients who present with acute chest pain, dysphagia or odynophagia, and particularly in the presence of a bleeding disorder or where there has been recent administration of antiplatelet medication, anticoagulants or thrombolytics to avoid inappropriate treatment with surgery. We present here a rare case of intramural dissection of the esophagus that occurred when the patient was taking antiplatelet medication.

Keyword

Esophagus; Dissection

MeSH Terms

Anticoagulants
Chest Pain
Deglutition Disorders
Esophagus
Hemorrhage
Humans
Lacerations
Prognosis
Rupture
Anticoagulants