Esophageal perforation in an infant: repair with a pleural flap

Most esophageal perforations regardless of cause, should be treated surgically. Since anatomic features of the esophagus make even small rents difficult to close, a variety of technics have been developed. Flaps of pleura have been used in adults, but to our knowledge this technic has not been previously described in infants. We used a local pleural flap for successful closure of a large esophageal perforation in a 2-week-old infant. Rapid healing occurred without stricture.