Gastric division: a surgical adjunct in selected problems with esophageal anomalies

Previous reports have suggested the usefulness of gastric division in premature infants or in critically ill infants with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula. 1–3 Division of the stomach has also been applied in certain infants with complications of an esophageal anastomosis where it has proved a satisfactory alternative to cervical esophagostomy and abandonment of esophageal function. Although the advent of intravenous hyperalimentation has altered the critical need for early intestinal feeding in these infants, it has not supplanted use of the intact intestinal tract. This report relates our experience with gastric division in caring for infants with specific problems or complications relating to esophageal discontinuity.