Abstract
Corrosive injuries of the oesophagus are the major health and financial burden on society [1]. The nature, intent and incidence of ingestion of a corrosive substance vary considerably among developing and developed countries. It is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of the burden of corrosive injuries as the incidence of attempted suicide is under-reported and corrosive poisoning is clubbed with other forms of poisoning. However, the lower socioeconomic groups seem to be more prone to such an injury. It can occur accidentally in children and in adults. In adults, ingestion is more often with a suicidal motive and uncommonly due to forced ingestion with a homicidal intent. The injury to the oesophagus can be devastating in its acute form leading to the death of the individual but more commonly is associated with chronic sequelae such as stricture formation leading to varying degrees of dysphagia and malnutrition affecting the quality of life. Therefore, understanding the pathophysiology and management of such injuries is paramount to ensure a good long-term outcome. This chapter aims to cover various aspects of the diagnosis and management of corrosive injuries of the oesophagus and address some of the controversies.
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Saluja, S.S., Varshney, V.K. (2018). Corrosive Injuries of the Oesophagus. In: Sahni, P., Pal, S. (eds) GI Surgery Annual. GI Surgery Annual, vol 24. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0161-2_1
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