[Corrosive esophagitis in children (author's transl)].

The treatment of corrosive esophagitis in children remains a controversial subject. A review of the literature and the various forms of treatment is presented with a retrospective study done a the Ste-Justine Hospital in Montreal. We studied the charts (327) of patients hospitalized for ingestion of corrosive substances for the period extending between 1970 to 1976 inclusively. The mean age of the patients involved was 2 years 4 months with a slight male predominance (60%). Javel water, sodium hydroxide, Chlorine, ammoniac and different acids were, in this order, the agents most frequently encountered. Esophageal burns proven by endoscopy was noted in 81 cases. Even in the absence of oropharyngeal burns, esophageal involvement was still present in 46% of cases. The low incidence of stenosis (9%) tends to confirm the beneficial role of steroids in the treatment of corrosive esophagitis. This is particularly true for 1st and 2nd degree burns whereas their administration in severe 3rd degree burn remains controversial.