Esophageal atresia (a developmental gap or discontinuity in the esophagus) and tracheoesophageal fistula (an abnormal connection between the esophagus and trachea) arise from incomplete separation of a shared embryologic foregut tube into its ventral (bronchial) and dorsal (esophageal) components, and most commonly occur together as a single combined anomaly. These malformations are frequently part of a broader genetic syndromic pattern, summarized by the VACTERL association of vertebral, anal, cardiac, tracheoesophageal, renal, and limb defects, with additional secondary abnormalities (such as polyhydramnios) arising from the fetus's inability to swallow and pass amniotic fluid through a continuous gastrointestinal tract.
Esophageal atresia (a developmental gap or discontinuity in the esophagus) and tracheoesophageal fistula (an abnormal connection between the esophagus and trachea) arise from incomplete separation of…