Neonatal surgery
- What
- The oesophagus ends in a blind pouch, so milk can't reach the stomach. Most babies also have a tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF), an abnormal link between the trachea (windpipe) and the oesophagus.
- Who
- About 1 in 3,000 to 4,500 babies. It often comes with other anomalies (the VACTERL association).
- Spot it
- A frothy, drooly baby who chokes, coughs or goes blue with feeds. Before birth there may be too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios).
- Test
- A tube passed into the mouth won't go down to the stomach, and on X-ray it coils in the pouch.
- Treatment
- Usually surgery in the first days of life to close the fistula and join the two ends. If the gap is long, the join may have to wait.
Source: Radiopaedia
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