Conservative treatment of esophageal perforations following pneumatic dilatation

: Over a 15-year period we have treated 50 patients with achalasia by pneumatic dilatation (61 dilatations). Perforation occurred in 5 patients, 2 of whom required surgery while the other 3 were successfully managed by conservative means. These 3 patients are reported on with reference to the indications and modalities of the medical treatment.