• Zhandong Zeng, Fengli Liu, Juan Ma, Yun Fang, and Hongwei Zhang.
• Neonatal Surgery Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Children's Hospital, Xuzhou, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Jun 1; 96 (26): e7366e7366.

BackgroundGastric transposition is a relatively novel method of esophageal replacement. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the outcomes of long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) treated with esophageal replacement using primary gastric transposition in neonates.MethodsBetween March 2008 and May 2015, 14 newborns with LGEA were treated in our hospital. They were all found to have gaps of over 3 cm at the time of the surgery and were diagnosed with LGEA. Primary gastric transposition was performed. They also underwent a gastric drainage procedure by pyloromyotomy. The nasogastric tube was removed if no anastomotic fistula was present and oral feeding was initiated. After initial recovery and discharge, the patients were evaluated with outpatient follow-ups or telephone follow-ups from 1 month after the surgery.ResultsThe mean age of the neonates at the time of the surgery was 32 hours (range, 4-96 h). The mean birth weight was 2550 g (range, 2100-3500 g). There were 2 deaths in this series of patients due to respiratory failure or withdrawal of treatment by the parents, with a mortality rate of 14.3%. Seven of the neonates developed unilateral or bilateral severe pneumonia. Early anastomotic leak occurred in 3 cases and anastomotic strictures occurred in 4 cases. These 4 neonates were able to eat a fairly normal diet after esophageal balloon dilation. Gastroesophageal reflux occurred in 7 of 12 cases. Feeding multiple small meals and postural support for positioning and feeding were instructed for these 7 cases. Subsequently, the symptoms alleviated and they had no additional surgical therapy. None of the neonates had delayed gastric emptying or gastric retention.ConclusionPrimary gastric transposition may be a rewarding reconstructive option in the treatment of LGEA.

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