Management of Adults With Esophageal Atresia

Esophageal atresia (EA) with or without trachea-esophageal fistula is relatively common congenital mal-formation with most patients living into adulthood. As a result, care of the adult patient with EA is becoming more common. Although surgical repair has changed EA from a fatal to a livable condition, the residual effects of the anomaly may lead to a lifetime of complications. These include effects related to the underlying deformity such as atonicity of the esophageal segment, fistula recurrence, and esophageal cancer to complications of the surgery including anastomotic stricture, gastroesophageal reflux, and coping with an organ transposition. This review dis-cusses the occurrence and management of these conditions in adulthood and the role of an effective transition from pediatric to adult care to optimize adult care treatment.

Automated summary

Esophageal atresia (EA) is a relatively common congenital malformation, with most patients living into adulthood. This review discusses the occurrence and management of complications related to EA in adulthood, as well as the importance of effective transition from pediatric to adult care for optimizing adult treatment.