The Biology of Defects, Disease, and Treatments

Abstract

The origins of this book began with the success in growing the smallest esophageal segments to normal size in patients with esophageal atresia (EA). It had become clear that the growth procedure effectively tapped into the considerable developmental potential of even the most rudimentary blind ends of the esophagus allowing the benefits of a true primary repair to be realized across the full EA spectrum [1]. Although congenital defects are often loosely considered to be primarily genetic mistakes, the evidence suggests that many of these problems arise from faulty development and, therefore, are potentially reversible. A tiny esophageal primordium poses an obvious obstacle to a primary esophageal repair; however, only the signal is required to effectively restart the well-orchestrated and complex three-dimensional organ development. The signal for the growth and development of organs and tissue is often a biomechanical stimulus, and in the case of long gap EA, axial tension provides it [1, 2].