Congenital esophageal stenosis.

We report 6 new cases of congenital esophageal stenosis (CES) that presented to us with special diagnostic and management problems and review the literature on this subject. Gastroesophageal reflux and achalasia are important differential diagnoses of esophageal stenosis, they may be associated with CES making appropriate management even more difficult. Treatment is also controversial, ranging from simple dilatation to segmental resection. CES should be present in every pediatric surgeon's mind should dysphagia occur on the introduction of semisolid food or esophageal food impaction, with a segmental stenosis demonstrated at esophagogram even when more obvious diagnoses are evoked.