Kyobu geka. The Japanese journal of thoracic surgery
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Spontaneous esophageal rupture is a comparatively rare disease, and thought to be a severe emergency disease clinically. Most patients of spontaneous esophageal rupture complained of chest pain after vomiting, which required an appropriate diagnosis. ⋯ To prevent post-operative empyema and mediastinal abscess formation, insertion of a conventional thoracic drainage tube and another fixed drainage tube from the posterior diaphragm to the lateral border of the vertebral column along the thoracic descending aorta seemed effective. The patients with spontaneous esophageal rupture underwent continuous irrigation and suction via these drainage tubes after the operation.