Introduction Pre-operative management of neonates with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) requiring positive pressure ventilation (PPV) support is clinically challenging. This study evaluates the safety, feasibility and value of flexible endoscopy with noninvasive ventilation and sustained pharyngeal inflation (FE-NIV-SPI) in diagnosis and placing a naso-tracheo-fistula-gastric (NTFG) tube before surgery. Methods A retrospective study conducted from 2017 to 2020 in neonates with Type-C EA/TEF and respiratory distress, where FE-NIV-SPI performed with NTFG tube placement before surgery. Results Five neonates were collected, one with duodenal atresia and one with transposition of great artery. At FE-NIV-SPI, median body weight was 2,399 g and mean age was 15.2 hours. Four neonates yielded severe (>80% collapsed) tracheomalacia. With this FE-NIV, all tracheal, fistulas and esophageal lumens could clearly assess and manage. All fistulas were less than 8mm proximal to carina with mean orifice width of 5 mm. All NTFG tubes placed successfully after confirmed the EA/TEF. Three neonates had co-intubated with nasal endotracheal tube and 2 neonates had received nasal prongs PPV. Mean procedural time of FE-NIV was 13.6±4.5 minutes. All neonates received gastric decompression and feeding via NTFG tubes for mean of 11.4±18.2 days and had stable pre-surgical courses. No adverse associated complication noted. Conclusion FE-NIV-SPI technique enables safe and accurate measurement of EA/TEF anatomy and placing NTFG tube. It could avert emergent gastrostomy, aid gastric decompression, feeding, and ETT intubation, improve PPV, provide pre-surgical stabilization and identify the fistula location during the surgical correction.

Objective: Report a novel technique of flexible endoscopy (FE) with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and sustained pharyngeal inflation (FE-NIV-SPI) in assessing aeroesophageal tracts (AET) to facilitate early detect laryngeal clefts (LC). Methods: Medical charts and FE videos of the children who were diagnosed as LC in a tertiary care hospital between 2000 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. FE-NIV-SPI technique was applied for all the reviewed children. Results: Of all the FE videos reviewed, twelve infants with laryngeal clefts were collected. This equates to a prevalence of 0.28% in all the children underwent FE at our institution. Their mean age was 5.0 ± 4.9 month-old and the mean body weight was 4.7 ± 2.3 kg. Nine (75%) infants were referred in without LC diagnosis, which was missed by 11 prior bronchoscopy and 5 computer tomography exams. With FE-NIV-SPI, the pharyngolaryngeal space could be pneumatically expanded and allowed detailed assessment. All LC types and coexisted AET lesions were visualized at the first FE-NIV-SPI examination with a mean time of 4.2 ± 0.9 minutes. They were eight type I, two type II and one type III. Ten (83.3%) infants coexisted airway malacia. Conclusion: Routinely using the FE-NIV-SPI technique can help detect the LC defect and associated AET lesions at the first assessment.

Objectives Flexible endoscopy (FE) assessed the whole approachable aeroesophageal (AE) tracks and changes of management in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD). Methods A 10 years (2011-2020) retrospective study of sBPD infants who had FE with and without artificial airway in AE tracks. FE with noninvasive ventilation (FE-NIV) of pharyngeal oxygen with nose-close and abdomen-compression was supported. Data of found pathologies, changes of consequent management and therapeutic interventions were collected and analyzed. Results Total 42 infants enrolled. Two scopes of 1.8mm and 2.6mm were used. FE revealed 129 AE pathologies in 38 (90.5%) infants. Twenty-eight (66.7%) infants detected more than one lesion. In 35 (83.3%) infants with 111 airway lesions, bronchial granulations (28, 25.2%), tracheomalacia (18, 16.2%) and bronchial granulations (15, 13.5%) were the leadings. Fifteen (35.7%) infants had 18 esophageal lesions. No significant FE-NIV complication noted. FE findings resulted consequent changes of management in all 38 infants. Thirty-six (85.7%) infants involved respiratory care of pressure titrations (29, 45.3%), shorten suctioning depth (17, 26.6%), changed endotracheal or tracheostomy tube depth (10, 15.6%) and extubation (8, 12.5%). Twenty-one (50%) infants had 50 medication changes included add steroids, anti-reflux medicine, antibiotics and stop antibiotics. Eighteen (42.8%) infants had received 37 therapeutic FE-NIV procedures which included 14 balloon dilatation, 13 laser-plasty and 10 stent implantations. Seven (16.7%) infants had surgeries included 4 tracheostomies and 3 fundoplications. Conclusion FE-NIV can be a safe and valuable modality for direct visual assessment of AE pathologies which contributed subsequent changes of clinical management in sBPD infants.