Esophageal atresia — state of the art (review of literature on the PUBMED base)

Esophageal atresia is fundamentally important in pediatric surgery, as its treatment results create an accurate portrait of the standards of surgical care, which is provided by any medical institution. Cameron Haight performed the first successful reconstruction of the esophagus’ malformation relatively recently — just over 70 years ago. Advances in neonatal surgery, technology and advances in neonatal intensive care have dramatically improved treatment outcomes for this disease. Current mortality from this developmental abnormality has become minimal, despite its frequent association with other malformations. A revolutionary approach to the treatment of esophageal atresia was developed by Steven Rothenberg in 1999, the pioneer and legend of pediatric minimally invasive surgery. In 1999, he revolutionized esophageal anastomosis by thoracoscopy. The innovative concept of the minimally invasive approach ensured minimal trauma to patients, thereby providing the possibility of rapid postoperative recovery of patients and reducing the length of their surgical hospital stay. This literature review raises the main controversy in the surgical treatment of esophageal atresia in the 21st century. Emphasis is placed on the study of the role of minimally invasive surgery and the treatment of concomitant abnormalities associated with gastroesophageal reflux and tracheomalacia. As part of the study, a description of all the latest technologies, advances in technical and scientific terms, solutions, exceptional experience, and competence in developing and implementing minimally invasive operations in young children. These developments changed the direction of pediatric surgery and improved the quality of surgical care for children with congenital malformation of the esophagus and how they were performed.