From
EUPSA/ERNICA
Esophageal Dilation for children with Esophageal Atresia
Chapter 1 of 4 · Fundamentals
Stricture formation
Esophageal atresia repair and stricture formation
Expert statements on this page
No expert statements were drawn from this page.
Host summaries · secondary, not cited in answers
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
Podcast
Update Course Rewind: Management of Esophageal Leaks 2022
Miguel Guelfand · 8 min · Published Jul 2026
Video
Esophageal Surveillance Practices in Esophageal Atresia Patients
Published Jul 2023
Video
STEPS-EA trial: Esophageal Atresia
3 min · Published Nov 2023
Video
BOB Ped Surg 2023 - Mohamad Qinawy, PAPSA - Presentation
8 min · Published Feb 2023
Video
QUAD #1: Cervical Tracheopexy with Dr. Alessandro de Alarcon
Dr. Todd Ponsky · 5 min · Published Dec 2023
Video
LIFE - Lifelong Follow up for Esophageal atresia
2 min · Published Nov 2023
Video
What is Gastroschisis? An ERNICA animation for parents and families
2 min · Published Dec 2023
Video
What is Omphalocele? An ERNICA animation for parents and families
3 min · Published Dec 2023
Video
What is Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)? An ERNICA animation for parents and families
3 min · Published Dec 2023
Video
What is small bowel atresia?: An ERNICA animation for parents and families
4 min · Published Dec 2023
Video
Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis in children: An ERNICA animation for parents and families
3 min · Published Dec 2023
Video
Surgical treatment for Hirschsprung’s Disease: An ERNICA animation for parents and families
3 min · Published Dec 2023
What the experts said
Children with esophageal atresia usually have their esophagus surgically repaired shortly after birth.
After surgical repair of esophageal atresia, it is common for children to develop an abnormal narrowing (stricture or stenosis) at the anastomosis site where the two halves were joined.
Esophageal strictures prevent normal passage of food to the stomach.
Children with esophageal strictures may take longer to eat than usual and may show breathing difficulties whilst drinking.
Signs of stricture may only become apparent when children start eating solid foods at a later age, with solid foods becoming stuck and causing discomfort and dysphagia.
All patients born with esophageal atresia should be treated at a specialist center with a multidisciplinary team.
Contrast esophagography for stricture evaluation involves passing a small tube through the nose into the esophagus above the narrowed part, injecting special fluid, and observing on X-ray to assess stricture tightness and fluid passage.
Esophageal dilation is always done under general anesthesia.
In most cases of esophageal dilation, an endoscope is used to insert a small balloon inside the stricture, which inflates to stretch open the stricture before being removed.
An alternative dilation technique uses the endoscope to pass a tapered elastic tube called a bougie into the esophagus to the stricture, with serial tubes of increasing diameter used to gradually stretch the stricture.
After esophageal dilation, oral feeding can restart under clinical observation, which might require a few hours or sometimes overnight hospital stay.
Strictures can recur after dilation and often the same procedure is needed multiple times before the esophagus is wide enough to pass food sufficiently.
Most cases of esophageal stricture can be managed with 1, 2, or 3 dilation procedures.
In rare cases, additional treatments beyond dilation may be needed for esophageal strictures.
Follow-up support for esophageal atresia should be both lifelong and structured.