[Spontaneous perforation of the esophagus: Boerhaave's syndrome. Apropos a case diagnosed by CT].

The spontaneous perforation of the esophagus is an entity with a difficult diagnosis due to the absence of predisposing pathological antecedents and the variability of symptoms. Although the diagnosis may be clinically suspected, only the imaging techniques, mainly thoracic radiography, esophagogram and, most recently, axial computerized tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance, allow a reliable diagnosis. We present the case of a spontaneous perforation of the esophagus in which the image obtained with computerized tomography allowed its diagnosis and surgical treatment within a short period of time.