RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Indolent form of mediastinitis caused by oesophageal perforation from fish bone ingestion
JF BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP bcr1120081250
DO 10.1136/bcr.11.2008.1250
VO 2009
A1 Alessandro W Mariani
A1 Paulo Manuel Pêgo-Fernandes
A1 Marcos Naoyoki Samano
A1 Euclides Furtado de Albuquerque Cavalcanti
A1 Juan José Cevasco
A1 Maurício Daniel Gattaz
YR 2009
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2009/bcr.11.2008.1250.abstract
AB Mediastinitis caused by oesophageal perforation usually presents as a severe disease that can quickly progress to sepsis and death. We report a case with an indolent form of mediastinitis, caused by fish bone ingestion, which was successfully and exclusively treated with antibiotics. The patient had only one symptom, intense thoracic pain, with no signs of infection except for elevated C reactive protein. The diagnosis was difficult to obtain because of this atypical clinical presentation. The chest computed tomography scan combined with the thoracic pain and the history of fish bone ingestion allowed us to confirm the diagnosis and initiate treatment.