Long-gap oesophageal atresia: Comparison of delayed primary anastomosis and oesophageal replacement with gastric tube

Abstract

Background Long-gap oesophageal atresia (LGOA) causes significant early and long-term morbidity. We conducted a retrospective 25-year review comparing outcomes of delayed primary anastomosis versus oesophageal replacement with greater curvature gastric tube. Methods Records of 44 consecutive patients undergoing LGOA repair (1986-2010) were obtained from OA database with ethics approval and were analysed for complication and long-term outcomes. Analysis was conducted using Student's t-test for quantitative and Fisher exact test for qualitative data. Results Thirty (68%) patients underwent delayed primary anastomosis and 14 (32%) had oesophageal replacement. Oesophageal replacement patients ha..