[10 cases of retrosternal colonic esophagoplasty for caustic stenosis of the esophagus in children].

This study is the authors' account of their experience of oesophagoplasty with the colon carried out among children in an african population. From 1978 to 1982, they performed 10 substernal intrathoracic transplantation of the colon to replace accidentally strictured oesophagus. The stricture in all cases is one to swallowing of corrosive substance, basic products (potassium lye and locally made bases) in half of the cases and battery acid in the other half. Follow-up has been between 9 months and 5 years. The results are as follows: In the immediate postoperative period there were: -- 1 death after surgery due to anesthetic error, -- 6 complications : -- 4 upper (cervical) anastomotic leakage, -- 1 incomplete stricture of the cervical anastomosis, -- 1 temporary dumping syndrome, -- 1 purulent pleurisy and parietal abscess; -- 3 cases without any complications. Before discharging the patients from the hospital, the functional results were evaluated on clinical features (quality of the deglutition, weight increase) and radiographically by a barium swallow (permeability of the colon transplant); these results were satisfactory. Long term follow-up was possible in 4 children (one monthly for the first 6 months, then once every 3 months for 6 months). Follow-up was less regular for the remaining 5 children. Except for a case of recurrent stricture of the cervical anastomosis which required reoperative surgery, normal deglutition was restored in all the patients, as was confirmed by a barium meal and a satisfactory weight gain.