Kikendall J W
Gastroenterology Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 1991 Dec;20(4):847-57.
Ingestion of caustic agents causes more than 5000 injuries yearly. There is little that the physician can do acutely to attenuate the severity of the internal injuries, but the physician must intensively monitor the patient and react quickly to treat laryngeal burns or transmural penetration of esophageal or gastric burns. Esophageal strictures may appear at any time after the second week. No therapy has been shown to reduce the incidence of strictures. A policy of vigilant anticipation and early dilatation of developing strictures is recommended.
