A case of hemothorax resulting from perforation of an esophageal diverticulum

Abstract

Esophageal diverticula are usually asymptomatic and clinically insignificant. We report a case of a hemothorax resulting from perforation of an esophageal diverticulum. A 45-year-old man complained of severe back pain. Computed tomography of the chest showed a mediastinal mass. On the next day, a left pleural effusion was revealed, which was a hemothorax. Gastrointestinal fiberscopy suggested perforation of the esophagus; an esophagectomy was performed, and the patient was diagnosed with a pathologic perforation of the esophageal diverticulum. This is the only report of a hemothorax resulting from perforation of an esophageal diverticulum in the English literature to date.