ASSESSMENT OF ESOPHAGEAL LEAK WITH ORAL FLUORESCEIN

Esophageal perforation may occur spontaneonsly or as a complication of esophageal operations. Treatment often mandates emergency operative i ntervention to close the leak or to provide adequate drainage. Recurre nt or persistent leak can lead to prolonged drainage before final heal ing. We describe herein a minimally invasive and inexpensive technique using fluorescein dye that can confirm the persistence of esophageal leak drained by tube thoracostomy without requiring expensive and pote ntially morbid invasive or radiological techniques. Application of thi s technique assists in diagnosis when previously described minimally i nvasive techniques are impractical or yield inconclusive results.