Perforation of the esophagus: correlation of site and cause with plain film findings.

The medical records and plain films of the chest and neck of 24 patients with esophageal perforation that had occurred either spontaneously or as a complication of instrumentation were reviewed. Plain films provide useful guidelines as to cause and location of perforation, and were found to be valuable in performing the subsequent confirmatory esophagram. Perforation of the distal esophagus usually results in pleural effusion or hydropneumothorax on the left, while perforation of the midesophagus tends to produce pleural effusion or hydropneumothorax on the right. Spontaneous perforation (Boerhaave syndrome) usually occurs in the distal esophagus, with resultant hydropneumothorax on the left. The plain films were unremarkable in about 12% of patients with esophageal perforation.