Successful esophageal replacement surgery in a 3-year old with post-corrosive esophageal stricture

Abstract

Accidental caustic ingestion in children, though entirely preventable, continues to be present in developing countries. Gastrointestinal injuries following caustic ingestion in children range from mild to fatal. Presentation of such children to the medical facility could be early or sometimes late with complications. Management is based on the type of injury and could range from medical conservative management to complex surgical procedures. Such complex surgeries are almost unavailable in developing countries. We present a 3-year old who presented to our facility with an esophageal stricture following accidental caustic ingestion four months prior to presentation. He had a failed stricture dilatation and needed to be managed surgically; he subsequently had a good outcome, which is rare in developing countries.