Traumatic esophageal injuries: 12-year experience at Henry Ford Hospital.

We reviewed our 12 years' experience and the literature on traumatic and nontraumatic esophageal injuries. A total of 28 patients were diagnosed and managed at Henry Ford Hospital. Cervical esophageal injuries should be explored surgically as soon as possible but, in our experience, a negative contrast swallow has not been reliable. In thoracic esophageal injuries, however, we rely more on contrast swallow to avoid routine exploratory thoracotomy and its morbidity. Abdominal esophageal injuries are readily identifiable during exploratory laparotomy performed for other abdominal injuries. Early diagnosis and treatment are the key to a successful outcome.