What is esophageal atresia?
TEF often occurs along with another birth defect known as esophageal atresia. With esophageal atresia, the esophagus does not form properly in the developing fetus. This results in two segments, one that connects to the throat and the other that connects to the stomach. However, the lumens (hollow centers) of these two segments do not connect to each other. The upper and lower ends of the esophagus thus exist as blind pouches. When an infant feeds, the upper pouch fills up and liquid overflows into the trachea, causing severe respiratory problems. This overflow into the trachea is referred to as aspiration. Esophageal atresia takes many forms, and there is a lot of variation in this group of defects. However, the spectrum of the defects includes five main types. The most common type (80%) has a fistula between the lower esophagus and the trachea; the upper part is a short segment of the esophagus that does not connect with any other structure. The second most common type (10% to 12%) o
