[The treatment of oesophageal atresia in The Netherlands]

The first description of oesophageal atresia dates back to 1670. Oesophageal atresia used to be regarded as a lethal disease, but since the successes of Leven and Ladd in 1939 and Haight in 1941 surgical correction is possible. The Dutch history ofoesophageal atresia begins in 1946. After the successes in America became known, several Dutch surgeons started to treat patients with oesophageal atresia, notably J.ten Kate, L.D.Eerland, M. Schoorl and P.J.Kooreman. In those days, paediatric surgery did not yet exist as a separate specialty. Today, paediatric surgery is concentrated in 6 paediatric surgical centres in the Netherlands. Thanks to the pioneers mentioned and the concentration of knowledge and expertise in the centres, the mortality ofoesophageal atresia patients in the Netherlands has decreased to approximately 9%, despite the fact that currently the gestational age and birth weight of patients is lower and the number of patients with comorbidity is higher.