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One hundred consecutive patients with esophageal atresia or tracheoesophageal fistula, or both, were treated at The Children's Mercy Hospital during the past 14 years. Each patient was evaluated and a plan for therapy was formulated depending on the type and urgency of concomitant disease. Healthy patients were treated by primary repair. Those with respiratory disease were treated before repair by gastrostomy, upper pouch suction, and antibiotics. In the small premature infant and the patient with major associated anomalies, repair of the esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula was postponed by gastrostomy, upper pouch suction, and parenteral nutrition while the concomitant disease was treated. Fifteen patients with life-threatening associated anomalies required operation before esophageal repair and 13 of them survived. During the initial hospitalization two deaths related to esophageal atresia occurred, whereas three prerepair and two late (2 1/2 and 3 months) postrepair deaths related to associated anomalies occurred. Thus, 93 of the 100 patients left the hospital alive. The increased survival is due not only to improved care of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula, but also to a more aggressive approach to the treatment of the serious associated anomalies.

A newborn infant with intestinal obstruction resulting from intussusception associated with neonatal small left colon syndrome is described. Differences between neonatal and infantile intussusception are detailed. Chronic loose intussusception in utero is proposed as one cause of the neonatal small left colon syndrome. Consideration should be given to doing a rectal biopsy and a sweat chloride test to differentiate neonatal small left colon syndrome from Hirschsprung's disease and cystic fibrosis, respectively, when the clinical diagnosis is not readily apparent.

Radiographic findings and related information are described for a series of 26 patients from six unrelated families. The tumor complex consists of a presacral teratoma and a sacrococcygeal bony defect occurring in a familial pattern. Many of the patients also had an associated vesicoureteral reflux, skin dimples, retrorectal abscess, and anorectal stenosis. The main radiographic features were the presence of a unilateral or central developmental deformity of the sacrum and coccyx, and the absence of radiographically visible soft-tissue calcifications.

Reaction of an isolated, unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is described. Detection was serendipitous in a patient with previous surgical resection and grafting of significant aortic coarctation. The philosophy and importance of proceeding with elective resection in these progressive lesions is emphasized.