The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 68, Issue 3 424-429, Copyright © 1986 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Orthopaedic aspects of the VATER association
SM Lawhon, GD MacEwen and WP Bunnell
The cases of twenty-eight patients with the VATER association, which
consists of various combinations of vertebral anomalies, anal atresia,
tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia, radial dysplasia, and
renal anomalies, were reviewed. Associated anomalies included deformities
of the ribs and lower limbs, a two-artery umbilical cord, a congenital
heart defect, and auricular deformities. Three children died in the first
two years of life. Of the remaining twenty-five patients, twelve have
required a total of seventeen orthopaedic procedures for the treatment of
congenital scoliosis or deformity of the upper or lower extremities.