Esophageal obstruction—prenatal detection rate and outcome

Abstract

Objective

Demographic characteristics in patients with short-gap and long-gap esophageal atresia

“…In a recent cohort comprising 307 new esophageal cases, polyhydramnios was present in 53.5% of the cases [18]. The 17.2% rate of polyhydramnios in the present study was lower than those reported previously [11,[14][15][16]. This may be explained by the relatively low number of prenatally diagnosed cases included in our series than have been included in previously published series.…”

“…In a previous study, the median length of hospital stay for patients with LGEA was found to be 83 days, a finding higher than that of ours [36]. Although of a limited time period, the follow-up duration in our study was comparable to that reported previously [14]. Nevertheless, infants with LGEA spend a long time in hospital and need more time under ventilatory support compared with those with SGEA.…”

“…Polyhydramnios is an important clinical sign in the diagnosis of EA, but usually it is not apparent until the third trimester [14]. The rate of polyhydramnios in mothers who give birth to a newborn with EA ranges from 20 to 30% [14][15][16].…”

Performance of prenatal diagnosis in esophageal atresia

“…EA is prenatally diagnosed in only one third of the cases and is usually only suspected . The normal esophagus is not routinely examined during ultrasound screening, and prenatal suspicion of EA is often based upon the presence of polyhydramnios and/or the absence of or a small stomach bubble; nonetheless, these signs are not always present nor specific . More recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biochemistry of the amniotic fluid have been developed to help in the diagnosis of EA and have been suggested as second‐line diagnostic tools to help confirm the diagnosis prenatally .…”

Case report: Upper neck pouch sign in the antenatal diagnosis of esophageal atresia

“…[4–6] When seen, the pouch is specific for this diagnosis, but is not appreciated in up to 57% of proved cases of esophageal atresia. [15] Therefore, in the presence of polyhydramnios, the radiologist should look for the pouch sign in the neck, irrespective of whether the stomach is present or absent.…”