An imaging study on tracheomalacia in infants with esophageal atresia: the degree of tracheal compression by the brachiocephalic artery is a good indicator for therapeutic intervention

This retrospective imaging study of 68 infants demonstrates that the lateral-to-anteroposterior diameter ratio (LAR) at the brachiocephalic artery crossing predicts which tracheomalacia patients after esophageal atresia repair will benefit from aortopexy. Patients requiring surgery had mean LAR of 3.54 versus 1.54 in non-surgical cases, with successful aortopexy reducing LAR below 1.5.