Pathologie de l'œsophage chez l'enfant

Diseases of the oesophagus in children can be distributed into 2 groups: malformative abnormalities and acquired disorders. The principal deformations are the oesophageal atresia, the tracheo-oesophageal fistula and the congenital stenosis. Oesophageal duplications and compressions due to abnormal vascular ring are also reviewed in this chapter. Gastroesophageal reflux and abnormalities of the œsogastric junction are the acquired pathology the most frequently encountered among children. Infectious or inflammatory lesions are much rarer, idiopathic achalasia and tumours are exceptional. Lesions in relation with the ingestion of a foreign body or a caustic substance are also to be known. Imaging, as primary or complementary technique, still consists in conventional radiology while sonography, CT or MRI provide useful information in more specific diseases.