Quality of life after gastric transposition for oesophageal atresia.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: A small proportion of infants born with oesophageal atresia in which the gap between the 2 ends of the oesophagus is too great for an end-to-end anastomosis will require oesophageal replacement. Since 1981 the author's procedure of choice for oesophageal replacement has been gastric transposition. The long-term functional outcome appears to be satisfactory, but the quality of life of these patients has not been investigated formally. This report assesses the health-related quality of life (QOL) of 2 groups of patients born with oesophageal atresia who have undergone gastric transposition.

METHODS: The study group comprised 28 patients aged 2 to 22 years who resided in England. Group 1 (n = 13), comprised patients who had undergone cervical oesophagostomy and gastrostomy without attempt at oesophageal anastomosis; group 2 (n = 15), comprised patients who had undergone previous attempts at reconstruction or replacement. QOL was assessed using modified versions of the Gastrointestinal Quality Of Life Index (GIQLI).

RESULTS: QOL scores based on patients' responses showed no significant differences between the groups (124 v 119). However, the disease-specific symptom scores showed that patients in group 1 experienced fewer symptoms compared with those in group 2. Additionally, based on parental responses, patients in group 1 had higher QOL scores than those in group 2. QOL scores for patients aged 2 to 4 years (n = 5) did not differ between the groups (81 v 92, not significant).

CONCLUSIONS: The quality of life for patients with oesophageal atresia undergoing gastric transposition was generally unimpaired by any side effects of gastric transposition. Patients undergoing gastric transposition as a primary procedure experienced fewer disease-specific symptoms in the medium term compared with patients who had undergone previous unsuccessful attempts at reconstruction or replacement of their oesophagus.