What is esophageal atresia?
Esophageal atresia is the medical term used to describe a birth defect of the esophagus in newborn babies.  The esophagus moves food from the mouth to the stomach, but in esophageal atresia the esophagus "dead ends" in a pouch instead of connecting to the stomach.  Therefore, no swallowed saliva, food, or liquids can get to the stomach.

Is esophageal atresia a recent condition?
The first written account that we know of was in England by a Dr. Durston in 1670.  A midwife delivered twin girls, conjoined at the chest, and Dr. Durston was called to the home.  Between the two girls there was one heart, one liver, and one stomach.  The baby girl on the left had the esophageal atresia and lived off the organs of her twin on the right.

The first survivor of esophageal atresia in the world, who also made medical history, was Robert Lindsig, born in 1935.  Mr. Lindsig is now 64 years old, leads an active life, and just recently retired.

When in the pregnancy does this happen?
It is believed that the esophagus is affected in the first 28 days of gestation (development of the baby) when the digestive tract is forming.  This is in the first month of pregnancy when many women do not even realize they are pregnant.

How frequently does esophageal atresia occur?
There are varying statistics.  Most literature says that the condition occurs in one baby in every 850 or one in every 3,000 – 4,000 births.  Each teaching hospital and Childrens' Hospitals across the United States sees an average of 5 – 20 babies, born with esophageal atresia and/or tracheoesophageal fistula, a year.

Does esophageal atresia always develop the same way?
No.  A baby can be born with esophageal atresia and/or esophageal atresia with a tracheoesophageal fistula.  The five most common types of esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula are described in the section "Esophageal Atresia/Tracheoesophageal Fistula—What Are They"?

What happens when the diagnosis has been made?
All of these children require specialized surgical repair, often performed in separate stages over several years, and usually beginning within 24 hours of their birth.  Ideally, the newborn will be taken to a Children's Hospital.  Most pediatric surgeons are familiar with this problem, and over the last 40 years many different techniques have been developed for correcting these anomalies.  Although corrective surgery generally alleviates the initial problem, in some cases follow-up medical treatment, including additional surgical procedures, is necessary.

How is it corrected?
If the gap in the esophagus is short, the surgeon may be able to join both ends of the esophagus together (anastomosis).  This is a major operation that takes place during the first few days of life.  However, if there is a short esophagus (long gap), reconstructive surgery at this stage is not usually possible, so provision must be made for the baby to be fed.

Usually, the abdomen is opened, and a tube is laid directly into the stomach (gastrostomy).  Through this tube a baby can be fed for months.  To avoid long hospitalizations, parents are taught to administer gastrostomy feedings themselves.

Won't they need to taste food to learn how to swallow?
Sometimes a baby may have an esophagostomy, a procedure in which the esophagus is brought out through an opening made in the neck.  If a child has an esophagostomy, the parent can give them "sham" or mock feedings orally by giving them soft foods and liquids.  The baby chews and swallows the food or liquid, but they are able to escape through the esophagostomy.  Sham feedings allow the child to associate the feeling of a full stomach (being fed by G-tube) with the act of sucking and swallowing (sham feeding), if they are done at the same time.  This can be a bit tricky, but it is possible.

Will there be any future complications?
There may be some, please go HERE to find out more.