THE RECOGNITION of the clinical entity of congenital tracheo-esophageal (TE) fistula without esophageal atresia, the so-called H-type TE fistula, is not of recent origin. The original description was recorded by Lamb1 in 1873. The first report of a surgical repair of a congenital H-type TE fistula was documented by Imperatori2 in 1939. Since the original description of the congenital H-type TE fistula in 1873, there have been approximately 125 cases of the congenital variety recorded in the pediatric, surgical, and otolaryngology literature. The purpose of this current report is to utilize a recent case of H-type TE fistula to review the overall problem, stressing the important aspects of radiologic diagnosis and operative repair.
The primary anatomical abnormality in the vast majority of congenital esophageal defects is esophageal atresia often, but not always, associated with a fistulous tract between trachea and esophagus extending from the proximal or the distal