title: Surgical management of oesophageal atresia.
abstract: There have been major advances in the surgery for oesophageal atresia (OA) and tracheo-oesophageal fistula(TOF) with survival now exceeding 90%. The standard open approach to OA and distal TOF has been well described and essentially unchanged for the last 60 years. Improved survival in recent decades is most attributable to advances in neonatal anaesthesia and perioperative care. Recent surgical advances include the use of thoracoscopic surgery for the repair of OA/TOF and in some centres isolated OA, thereby minimising the long term musculo-skeletal morbidity associated with open surgery. The introduction of growth induction by external traction (Foker procedure) for the treatment of long-gap OA has provided an important tool enabling increased preservation of the native oesophagus. Despite this, long-gap OA still poses a number of challenges, and oesophageal replacement still may be required in some cases.
authors.affiliation: Academic Paediatric Surgeon, Department of Paediatric Surgery, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Honorary Fellow, Surgical Research Group, Murdoch Children's, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Warwick J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Teague
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Surgeon, Department of Paediatric Surgery, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead 2145, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: jonathan.karpelowsky@health.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karpelowsky
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D004933:Esophageal Atresia / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008026:Ligation; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012008:Recurrence; D013906:Thoracoscopy; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014138:Tracheoesophageal Fistula / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Long Gap oesophageal atresia; Oesophageal atresia; Tracheo-oesophageal fistula