DOZ047.42: The value of rigid tracheobronchoscopy for the diagnosis of tracheomalacia in esophageal atresia patients
Abstract Aim of the Study The aim of this study is to evaluate routine airway endoscopy prior to the closure of the trachea-esophageal fistula (TOF) and esophageal atresia (EA) repair in a tertiary medical center concerning pre- and postoperative tracheomalacia. Methods We evaluated all patients with EA born between 2013 and 2016 who underwent routine rigid tracheobronchoscopy (TBS) before primary repair of the EA at our center. Inclusion criteria included peroperative rigid TBS performed by an otolaryngologist. Exclusion criteria included impossibility to determine pre- and or postoperative TM (because of logistic or medical reasons). Demographic data, comorbidities, surgical intervention, TBS findings, and subsequent surgical management were analyzed. Main Results Twenty-four patients with EA were included in this study. Eight of the 24 patients developed postoperative TM. Of these 8 patients with TM, 5 were diagnosed at the preoperative TBS (62.5%). Of the 16 patients without postoperative TM, there were 6 patients (37.5%) with peroperative diagnosed TM. So the sensitivity and specificity of routine airway endoscopy prior to EA-repair are, respectively, 62.5% (CI 30.4%–86.5%) and 62.5% (CI 38.5%–81.6%). Concerning postoperative TM, there is a significant higher appearance in females versus males (P-value 0.021). There was no significant causality between mean gestational age, birth weight, type of EA, type of surgery (open or thoracoscopic), presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and the appearance of postoperative TM. Conclusions Preoperative TBS can be useful for the evaluation of tracheoesophageal fistula but has a low sensitivity and specificity to detect postoperative TM.