Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jun;143(6):1266e-1276e.
doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000005649.

Supercharged Jejunal Interposition: A Reliable Esophageal Replacement in Pediatric Patients

Joseph M Firriolo  1 , Laura C Nuzzi  1 , Ingrid M Ganske  1 , Thomas E Hamilton  1 , C Jason Smithers  1 , Oren Ganor  1 , Joseph Upton 3rd  1 , Amir H Taghinia  1 , Russell W Jennings  1 , Brian I Labow  1
Affiliations

Supercharged Jejunal Interposition: A Reliable Esophageal Replacement in Pediatric Patients

Joseph M Firriolo et al. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Background: There is no consensus for esophageal reconstruction in the pediatric population. Long defects are commonly repaired with gastric pull-up or colonic interposition; however, jejunal interposition offers several potential advantages in children. One historical concern with jejunal interposition has been the risk of flap infarction following transposition. The use of neck and intrathoracic vessels to "supercharge" the jejunum has been reported in adults. This study reports outcomes of supercharged jejunal interposition in pediatric and young adult patients with long esophageal defects.

Methods: The authors reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent supercharged jejunal interposition for esophageal reconstruction at their institution from 2013 to 2017. The authors collected data pertaining to patient characteristics, operative technique, and postoperative outcomes.

Results: Twenty patients, 10 female and 10 male, aged 1.4 to 23.8 years, underwent esophageal reconstruction with supercharged jejunal interposition and were followed for a median of 1.4 years. Seventeen patients had a primary diagnosis of long-gap esophageal atresia, and three required reconstruction following caustic ingestion. Eighty percent of patients had undergone prior attempts at surgical reconstruction. Postoperatively, all conduits demonstrated coordinated peristalsis, and no flap losses were noted. Major complications occurred in seven patients, stricture dilation was performed in four patients, and there was no mortality.

Conclusions: Jejunal interposition with supercharging can be safely performed for management of long esophageal gaps in the pediatric setting; it is useful where the stomach or colon has been used previously or is unavailable. Long-term outcome studies are required to determine whether jejunal interposition provides a more durable and safe conduit than gastric pull-up or colonic interposition over time.

Clinical question/level of evidence: Therapeutic, IV.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bairdain S, Foker JE, Smithers CJ, et al. Jejunal interposition after failed esophageal atresia repair. J Am Coll Surg. 2016;222:1001–1008.
    1. Gottrand M, Michaud L, Sfeir R, Gottrand F. Motility, digestive and nutritional problems in esophageal atresia. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2016;19:28–33.
    1. Longmire WP Jr. Antethoracic jejunal transplantation for congenital esophageal atresia with hypoplasia of the lower esophageal segment. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1951;93:310–316.
    1. Gallo G, Zwaveling S, Groen H, Van der Zee D, Hulscher J. Long-gap esophageal atresia: A meta-analysis of jejunal interposition, colon interposition, and gastric pull-up. Eur J Pediatr Surg. 2012;22:420–425.
    1. Foker JE, Linden BC, Boyle EM Jr, Marquardt C. Development of a true primary repair for the full spectrum of esophageal atresia. Ann Surg. 1997;226:533–541; discussion 541543.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources