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Congenital short esophagus in the newborn

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Summary

A 29-day-old newborn presented with semiprojectile vomiting, failure to thrive, and roentgenographic evidence for a congenital short esophagus with partial thoracic stomach. Anatomic findings confirmed the presence of a congenital short esophagus with partial thoracic stomach in the absence of stricture or hiatal hernia. The finding of squamous metaplasia involving mucus-secreting glandular epithelium with conversion to normal esophageal-type mucosa was reported. The possible significance of this morphologic change lies in the fact that it removes a potential source of protective mucus and provides a surface of esophageal-like mucosa in a partial thoracic stomach that could lead to ulceration and stricture formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, 23219, Richmond, Va

    R. E. Brown MD, G. E. Madge MD & T. R. Howell MD

Authors
  1. R. E. Brown MD
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  2. G. E. Madge MD
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  3. T. R. Howell MD
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Additional information

The authors wish to thank Miss P. D. Chestnut for her technical assistance.

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Brown, R.E., Madge, G.E. & Howell, T.R. Congenital short esophagus in the newborn. Digest Dis Sci 15, 863–868 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236050

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236050

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