Evaluation By Computed Tomography Or Endoscopy After The Caustic Ingestion: Is Radiological Evaluation Alone Enough?

Aim: We aimed to determine the correlation between endoscopic and computed tomography (CT) grading scores in patients presenting after caustic ingestion and to evaluate their effectiveness in predicting the severity of lesions. Material and Methods: Patients aged 18 and older who presented to our emergency department due to caustic ingestion between 2019 and 2023 were included in the study. Clinical records of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: A total of 57 patients (27 males, 47.4%; 30 females, 52.6%) were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 41.6 (±17.0) years. CT findings and emergency endoscopic evaluation results at the time of emergency department presentation were compared. When the CT scores were compared with the Zargar classification, statistically significant similarities were found for both the esophagus and the stomach. Conclusion: This study suggests that CT evaluation in patients presenting with caustic ingestion may be as effective as emergency endoscopy. Additionally, for patients identified by CT as having a low likelihood of requiring an endoscopic intervention, treatment and follow-up may be feasible without performing emergency endoscopy.