Boerhaave's syndrome, or spontaneous perforation of the esophagus, is a life-threatening disease. The timing of diagnosis and treatment of this disease is an important factor in determining its outcome. We report 2 consecutive cases of Boerhaave's syndrome with different clinical presentations that were observed in our institution. The first patient was diagnosed and received urgent surgical repair of the esophageal perforation within 16 hours after presentation. Another patient was diagnosed after more than 3 days and esophageal diversion and thoracic drainage were performed to control sepsis. A delayed esophageal anastomosis was performed after the perforation had healed. These 2 patients were treated successfully and recovered uneventfully after a 1-year follow-up.