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TEF repair; Esophageal atresia repair
Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia repair is surgery to repair two birth defects in your esophagus and trachea. Your esophagus is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Your trachea, or windpipe, is the tube that carries air to the lungs.
These defects usually occur together:
This surgery is almost always done soon after birth. Surgery is done while the child is in a deep sleep and pain-free from general anesthesia.
Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia can usually be repaired at the same time.
If the 2 parts of the esophagus are too far apart, then:
Sometimes the surgeon will wait 2 - 4 months before doing the surgery. Waiting allows your baby to grow or have other problems treated. If your child's surgery is delayed:
Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia are life-threatening problems and need treatment right away. If these problems are not treated:
Orenstein S, Peters J, Khan S, Youssef N, Hussain SZ. Congenital anomalies: Esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 316.
Long JD, Orlando RC. Anatomy, histology, embryology, and developmental anomalies of the esophagus. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Sleisenger MH, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2006:chap 40.
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