Suspicious ultrasounds
On the ultrasound of the second or third trimester of pregnancy, certain signs may suggest a malformation of the esophagus …
The baby with atresia is unable to swallow. In his mother’s womb, we note a buildup of amniotic fluid that the fetus cannot ingest (a hydramnios). Cécile, Emile’s mother, knows what it is. Pregnant, she had to undergo three pumpings: “it is true that my stomach was more tense than my first pregnancy, that I was also more tired, but I did not suspect anything abnormal”. Doctors used a syringe to remove the amniotic fluid that his son was not swallowing.
A poorly or undeveloped stomach, a small baby can also alert the sonographer.
In case of suspicion, doctors perform a fetal MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). This examination, if it confirms atresia, will also make it possible to determine the distance between the two segments of the esophagus.
Any associated malformations are also looked for and the mother-to-be will have to undergo an amniocentesis. There are, in fact, many cases of esophageal atresia in children with Down’s syndrome …
Diagnosis of esophageal latresia, made on D-Day
“As soon as she was born, they took her from me to clean her, do the usual exams, etc. They brought her back to me five minutes later, without telling me anything. There, I noticed that she was not swallowing. Bubbles were coming out of her nose, her mouth, I understood that something abnormal was happening, ”recalls Valérie, Charline’s mother. In her case, atresia was diagnosed a few minutes after birth, when the esophagus was examined, to which all newborns are entitled.