Thoracoscopic versus conventional thoracotomy for esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula repair: a comprehensive meta-analysis of 25 comparative studies.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

This meta-analysis compares thoracoscopic versus open thoracotomy repair of esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF).

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus from inception to April 2025 for studies comparing thoracoscopic versus conventional thoracotomy approaches. Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using appropriate tools. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.4 software.

Results

A total of 25 studies (24 observational and one randomized controlled trial, including 3087 patients) were included. Thoracoscopic repair was associated with longer operative time (mean difference [MD] = 20.94 min; p = 0.005) but showed significant advantages in

SUBMITTER: Alansari AN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12420690 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature