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History of the Treatment of Esophageal Atresia

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Esophageal and Gastric Disorders in Infancy and Childhood

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Abstract

The story of esophageal atresia (EA) is as fascinating and varied as the lesions themselves. EA comprises a wide spectrum of defects, ranging from an absent or atretic segment commonly referred to as pure EA through lesions which have one or more associated tracheoesophageal fistulae (TEF) [1]. The first understanding of EA comes early but only much later and after many different surgical attempts to correct these lesions is anything like reasonable success achieved. Most early efforts dealt with the common form of a blind upper esophageal pouch and lower tracheoesophageal fistula (about 80–85 % of the total) but the other types also contribute to the story [2]. The history can only be recounted from what has been published; nevertheless, the thinking about and struggling with these babies and even the poignancy of repeated failures come through clearly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Mayo Mail Code Box 207, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    John E. Foker MD, PhD (Robert and Sharon Kaster Professor of Surgery, Visiting Professor)

  2. Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    John E. Foker MD, PhD (Robert and Sharon Kaster Professor of Surgery, Visiting Professor)

Authors
  1. John E. Foker MD, PhD
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Correspondence to John E. Foker MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Holger Till

  2. Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Paediatric Gastroenterology Centre, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Mike Thomson

  3. Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    John E. Foker

  4. Department Surgery, University of Missouri, Kansas City Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

    George W. Holcomb III

  5. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Khalid M. Khan

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Foker, J.E. (2017). History of the Treatment of Esophageal Atresia. In: Till, H., Thomson, M., Foker, J., Holcomb III, G., Khan, K. (eds) Esophageal and Gastric Disorders in Infancy and Childhood. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11202-7_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11202-7_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11201-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11202-7

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