The use of biosynthetic mesh to separate the anastomoses during the thoracoscopic repair of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula.

Recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula following the repair of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) is a difficult complication to manage, which makes prevention the dominant concern of surgeons performing the primary repair. To this end, the surrounding pleural tissues are usually brought over the tracheal closure to prevent the development of a recurrence during the open repair. This maneuver is not usually feasible when using the thoracoscopic approach. Therefore, in this paper, we describe a case in which we interposed a biosynthetic mesh between the esophageal and tracheal suture lines during the thoracoscopic repair of EA/TEF on a 2.9-kg newborn girl.