[Megaesophagus by achalasia in children (seven cases) (author's transl)]

The authors reported seven cases of megaesophagus by achalasia in children treated by transabdominal esophagomyotomy. There were five girls and two boys. Nor infantile neither familial forms were seen. Five children were cured clinically and radiologically at the third post operative month. Two failures were successfully treated by Thal's procedure. We concluded: (1) Infantile achalasia is not rare in recent literature; recurrent respiratory troubles and familial forms are frequent; prognosis is serious in this age groups. (2) Esophagus's width divided by thoracic vertebral corpus's height is a more objective criteria to appreciate megaesophagus's importance than esophagus's width alone. (3) Endoscopic biopsy is inadequate to detect tracheo bronchial remnants. (4) Appropriate treatment in children is surgical esophagomyotomy with fundoplication.