Esophageal Atresia With Tracheo-esophageal Fistula

Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula presents a major challenge to the obstetrician, pediatrician, and pediatric surgeon. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment of this anomaly can be lifesaving and totally corrective. The technique for reconstruction of the atretic esophagus dates back to 1939 when Ladd and Leven successfully undertook its staged repair independently.1,2In 1941, Haight and Towsley succeeded in a one-stage repair.3 This report is concerned with 15 consecutive cases of esophageal atresia with tracheo-esophageal fistula admitted to the Hospital of the American University of Beirut (AUB) over a six-year period, 1963 to 1968. One infant's condition was diagnosed within three hours after birth and this case is described in detail to underline the importance of early diagnosis. Aspiration pneumonia occurs rapidly in cases of esophageal atresia and accounts for many of the deaths. A comparison is made with this data and that obtained from cases of esophageal