Background: Survival of newborns with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula has increased in the last years.
Aim: To assess the prevalence of esophageal atresia and describe associated malformations in Chilean newborns.
Material and methods: All births occurring between January 1983 and June 1998 were studied. All malformed children were registered and the next non malformed born child was considered as control.
Results: During the study period, 50,965 births occurred and 3,336 malformed children were born. Eighteen (3 stillborn) had esophageal atresia with a rate of 3,53 per 10,000 born alive. Overall survival was 73%. Survival among children classified in Waterson groups A and B was 100% and 50% among those classified in group C. Seventy two percent had associated malformations, being congenital cardiopathies and skeletal malformations the most frequent. VACTERL association was found in 44% of children. All stillborn children had other severe malformations. When compared to controls, malformed children had a lower weight, a lower gestational age, their mothers had a higher age, a higher frequency of relatives with malformations and a higher frequency of maternal diseases during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Conclusions: The rate of esophageal atresia found in this study is similar to that reported in other Chilean obstetrical units as part of the Latin American Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC).