Successful conservative management of Boerhaave's syndrome with late presentation.

In this report, we describe the diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic aspects of a 22-year-old man who was diagnosed with a case of Boerhaave's syndrome (BS) 86 hours after acute onset of chest pain and dyspnea following forceful vomiting due to excessive ingestion of alcohol. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is critical in BS due to the high mortality rates related to delay in diagnosis. We think the main criterion of prognosis is not only the free interval between diagnosis and treatment but the clinical form. We suggest conservative management, including intrathoracic lavage and close monitoring in patients with late presentation with a distal esophageal tear.