Hyperextension injury of the cervical spine with esophageal perforation. Case report.

A case is presented of esophageal perforation following a hyperextension-flexion cervical injury. The patient recovered without complication. Hyperextension-flexion injuries of the cervical spine have proved to be a rare cause of esophageal perforation. The mechanism may be impingement of the esophagus against an exostosis or the edge of a vertebral body, or entrapment of the esophageal wall between the vertebral bodies as hyperextension changes to flexion. If not detected and treated early, the perforation may cause mediastinitis, retropharyngeal abscess, aspiration pneumonia, or death.