Esophageal perforations in premature infants and comments on the diagnosis

T. A. Clarke, R. W. Coen, B. Feldman and L. Papile

Traumatic perforation of the esophagus follows oropharyngeal suctioning or endotracheal intubation. The diagnosis frequently is made from a routine chest roentgenogram that shows a nasogastric tube in the right pleural space with or without a pneumothorax. The lesion is seen most often in infants of low birth weight.