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Updated: May 27, 2026

Image Acquisition using Portable Sonography for Emergency Airway Management
Published on: September 28, 2022
Hypopharyngeal perforation: an unusual complication of transesophageal echocardiography
David Bakhos1, Jean-Phillippe Cottier, Patrice Beutter
1CHU de Tours, Université François-Rabelais, 2 Blvd. Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France. bakhos_d@med.univ-tours.fr
Abstract:
Physicians frequently use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for clinical cardiology and during surgery. It is considered a safe procedure, and only a few cases of complications have been reported in the literature. We present the case of a 78-year-old man who experienced a perforation of the hypopharynx following TEE. The perforation went unrecognized for 10 days. Computed tomography identified a cervical abscess, which was drained. The patient recovered and was doing well at the 1-year follow-up. Hypopharyngeal perforation is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. Surgeons should know and recognize its clinical signs to prevent its occurrence.
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