Cardiac compression secondary to a massively dilated substernal colon conduit.

With the growing success of surgical repairs of congenital defects previously incompatible with life, it is expected of these patients to live longer and experience the complications of these corrective procedures. Esophageal atresia is a congenital defect that occurs in 1 out of 4000 births and is oftentimes a surgical emergency in which colonic conduits are routinely used for esophageal reconstruction. Colonic conduit redundancy and dilatation are well-recognized late complications of colon conduit surgeries for esophageal reconstructions. We report a rare case of symptomatic cardiac compression secondary to a massively dilated substernal colon conduit occurring 44 years after the initial childhood surgery in 1964 with rapid reversal of hemodynamic compromise after conduit removal.