Successful correction of congenital esophageal atresia in newborn
A congenital blockage of the esophagus occurs in one in every 3500 babies. Until recently, a large incision in the chest was necessary to perform this lifesaving correction. In May of 2000, pediatric surgeons and anesthesiologists in the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital at UMC Utrecht started using endoscopic surgery to make the correction. The first children who underwent such operations had birth weights of six pounds. As expertise grew, it became clear these operations could also be performed on smaller babies. In February of this year a new milestone was reached when an esophageal atresia correction was performed on a baby that weighed only two pounds. The Wilhelmina Children's Hospital is one of the few places in the world where infants born with this condition can have endoscopic surgery. The imaging technology used during endoscopic surgery makes a more precise correction of the condition possible and the entire operation is less intrusive and painful, and results in fewer scars.