What causes esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula?
Doctors are not yet sure exactly what causes these problems. When your child’s esophagus and the trachea started to grow in the womb, they started from the same bit of tissue. Sometimes the tubes don't develop correctly. It's not thought that these problems are inherited.
Source
Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula by DC Clark (American Family Physician February 15, 1999, http://www.aafp.org/afp/990215ap/910.html)
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff
Reviewed/Updated: 07/10
Created: 02/99