Cirugía esofágica pediátrica. La historia de la cirugía de la atresia esofágica.

Introduction. One of the congenital anomalies that pediatric surgeons constantly face is esophageal atresia. The results of its treatment in the 21st century, which is even carried out through minimally invasive surgery, have nothing to do with the anguish experienced after its recognition as a disease in 1670 by Durston. Methods. A historical review and analysis of the information available in the databases was performed to establish the evolution of the surgical correction of esophageal atresia over time to the present. Results. Since the end of the 19th century, when the era of surgery began, surgeons faced the uncertainties of a disease that was yet to be understood, making multiple unsuccesful efforts, with high mortality in each procedure proposed for its resolution. After five decades of failed attempts, the resilience of the surgeons of the time, together with progress in anesthetic resources, pediatric and nursing care, instruments and infection control, finally allowed the goal of achieving survival after such a complex procedure was possible. Conclusions. This article aims to recognize the milestones that marked advances in surgery for the correction of esophageal atresia at the global, Latin American and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]