DOI: 10.21276/sasjs.2019.5.7.2

Pages: 274-279

Oesophageal perforation can be life threatening with high morbidity and mortality rates. The management of oesophageal perforation remains a great challenge despite advancements in modern medicine. With the advent of minimal access surgery, the morbidity normally associated with conventional open thoracotomy has been drastically reduced. Successful management outcomes are not only dictated by the modality of treatment employed but dependant on factors such as; time elapsed between perforation and initiation of treatment, degree of contamination, size of perforation and general condition of the patient. This series demonstrates 3 cases with different etiologies and clinical presentation successfully managed via video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Herein the report both early and delayed management of oesophageal perforation through VATS has been highlighted.