Since 1988, we have performed esophageal replacement with the reversed gastric tube on four esophageal atresia patients. Three patients had long-gap esophageal atresias and one patient had recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula that was previously operated on three times. One combined imperforate anus.
The youngest patient was 6-month-old and the oldest, 34-month-old at the time of procedure. The technique of gastric tube construction is described. There have been both major and minor complications. Although two patients had shown distal tube strictures as late complications, those were solved with tuboplasties on 29 months and 48 months, postoperatively.
Growth and development have been acceptable in all four patients, although most remain in the lower percentiles for growth and height, a condition that usually predates the esophageal substitution.
Conclusively, reversed gastric tube interposition has proved very satisfactory for long-gap esophageal atresia that cannot be anastomosed primarily even by spiral myotomy and esophageal atresia with recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula having destroyed esophagus due to previous operation.
