Clinical Program

Esophageal Atresia Treatment Program

Related symptoms or conditions

Our techniques may sound complicated, but our work here is simple: use the most effective surgical approach available to help children born with an incomplete or blocked esophagus to eventually be able to eat solid foods.

Specialists within the EAT Program also care for children with:

  • airway anomalies such as tracheomalacia and bronchomalacia
  • laryngeal clefts and related complications
  • aspiration
  • strictures
  • perforation and leaks
  • gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
     

VACTERL

VACTERL association (also called VATER syndrome) is a group of associated birth defects. These defects aren't always related, but they do tend to occur together. The name is an acronym, standing for:

 

      V - Vertebral anomalies

      A - Anorectal anomalies

      C - Cardiovascular anomalies

      TE - Tracheoesophageal fistula

      R - Renal (Kidney) and/or radial anomalies

      L - Limb defects

Because TE is one of the associated conditions (it's present in about 70 percent of VACTERL patients) many children with EA/TEF may also have some of the other conditions found in VACTERL patients.

CHARGE Syndrome

CHARGE syndrome is a genetic condition, caused by a change (mutation) in a single gene. Originally the term CHARGE was an acronym, representing symptoms often associated with the condition: coloboma (defect) of the eye, heart defect, atresia of the choanae, retardation of growth and/or development, genital and/or urinary abnormalities and ear abnormalities and deafness. These features are no longer used in making a diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome, but the name has remained.

CHARGE is a complex condition that involves extensive medical and physical difficulties that can be different for each patient. Although EA/TEF is not a major criterion for diagnosis of CHARGE, about 10 percent of children with CHARGE also have EA/TEF.

Polyhydramnios

Polyhydramnios is an abnormally large buildup of the fluid that surrounds the baby in the mother's uterus during pregnancy. Polyhydramnios doesn't cause EA/TEF, but a diagnosis of polyhydramnios in the mother may be the first sign of EA in a fetus. This is because a fetus with EA is unable to swallow amniotic fluid normally and therefore the fluid volume accumulates. This diagnosis is further supported if a “stomach bubble” is not seen in an ultrasound.