These results indicate that liver stiffness measurement is feasible in children and is related to liver fibrosis. A specific probe dedicated to children and slender patients has thus been developed and is currently under evaluation. The FibroScan equipped with this specific probe could become a useful tool for the management of chronic liver diseases in children.

Epidemiologic surveys of congenital anomalies such as EA, which is a rare disease, provide valuable data for public health authorities and fulfill one important mission of reference centers. When compared with previous epidemiological data, this national population-based registry suggests that the incidence of EA remains stable.

BackgroundThe aim of the present national prospective population-based study was to assess the early morbidity of esophageal atresia (EA).MethodsAll 38 multidisciplinary French centers that care for patients with EA returned a specific questionnaire about the 1-year outcome for each patient. This information was centralized, checked, and entered into a database.ResultsFrom the total population of 307 EA patients born in 2008 and 2009, data about the 1-year outcome were obtained from 301 (98%) patients, of whom 4% were lost to follow-up and 5% died. Medical complications occurred in 34% of the patients: anastomotic leaks (8%), recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula (4%), and anastomotic stenosis (22%); all of the latter group needed dilation (median, 2 dilations/patient). A new hospitalization was required for 59% of patients (2.5 hospitalizations/patient) for digestive (52%) or respiratory (48%) reasons. Twelve percent of patients required antireflux surgery at a median age of 164 days (range, 33–398 days), and 1% underwent an aortopexy for severe tracheomalacia. The weight/age Z-score was −0.8 (range, −5.5 to 3.7 months) at 12 months. Fifteen percent of patients were undernourished at 12 months of age, whereas 37% presented with respiratory symptoms and 15% had dysphagia at the last follow-up. Significant independent factors associated with medical complications were anastomotic esophageal tension (p = .0009) and presence of a gastrostomy (p = .0002); exclusive oral feeding at discharge was associated with a decreased risk of complications (p = .007).ConclusionsDigestive and respiratory morbidities remain frequent during the first year of life and are associated with difficult anastomosis and lack of full oral feeding.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13023-014-0206-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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