We have experienced twenty-eight patients of esophageal perforation at the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Seoul National University Hospital during the period from Jan. 1957 to Jun. 1989. The ratio between male and female patients was 17:11, and their age ranged from 2 years to 61 years old. [average: 30.4 years old] The cause of esophageal perforation were instrumental trauma in 9 cases, caustic perforation in 6 cases, spontaneous perforation in 6 cases, surgical trauma in 2 cases, and others in 5 cases. The most frequent location of perforation was in the lower third portion of the esophagus [13 case, 46 %]. Patients complained of chest pain [86 %], dyspnea [57 %], fever [57 %], subcutaneous emphysema [43 %], and others. The frequent complications of esophageal perforation were empyema [13 cases, 46 %] and mediastinitis [11 cases, 39 %]. The first treatment was supportive care in 3 cases, primary closure and reinforced procedures in 13 cases with 3 deaths, open drainage in 5 cases with 2 deaths, diversion in 4 cases with 2 deaths and closed thoracostomy drainage in 3 cases. After the first treatment, 6 patients received multi-staged operations for several months. Overall mortality was 25 %, and the most frequent cause of death was sepsis[57 %]. We thought that factors affecting the outcome of esophageal perforation are;[1] early diagnosis and adequacy in the first treatment, [2] intensive perioperative management including multi-stage surgical approach, [3] patient`s condition at the diagnosis