Long-term outcomes of oesophageal atresia without or with proximal tracheooesophageal fistula - Gross types A and B

Purpose: Because of an extended gap between esophageal pouches a variety of methods are employed to treat oesophageal atresia (OA) without (type A) or with (type B) proximal tracheooesophageal fistula. This retrospective observational study describes their single centre long-term outcomes from 1947 to 2014.

Methods: Of 693 patients treated for OA 68 (9.7%) had type A (n=58, 8.3%) or B (n=10, 1.4%). Hospital records were reviewed. Main outcome measures were survival and oral intake.

Results: Nine (13%) patients had early and 10 (15%) delayed primary anastomosis, 30 (44%) underwent reconstruction including colonic interposition (n=13), reversed gastric tube (n=11) and jejunum interposition (n=6), whereas19 (28%) had died without a definite repair. Median follow up was 35 (interquartile range, 7.4-40) years. Thirty-one (63%) of 49 patients with definitive repair survived long term. Survival was 22% for early and 80% for delayed primary anastomosis, 57% for colon interposition, 82% for gastric tube and 84% for jejunum interposition. Gastrooesophageal reflux was most common after gastric tube (80%), dysphagia after colon interposition (50%), and 3 (60%) of 5 survivors with jejunum interposition had permanent feeding ostomy because of neurological disorder. Endoscopic follow-up disclosed no oesophageal cancer or dysplasia. Repair in the most recent patients from 1985 to 2014 (n=14) included delayed primary anastomosis (n=7), jejunum interposition (n=6) and gastric tube (n=1) with 93% long-term survival.

Conclusion: Morbidity among long-term survivors of type A or B OA is high. With modern management survival is, however, excellent and patients without neurological disorder achieve full oral intake either after primary anastomosis or reconstruction.

Levels of evidence: IV.