VACTERL

Background

Acronym stands for:
- V: vertebral defects (e.g. hemivertebrae, fused or butterfly vertebrae, or extra vertebrae)
- A: anal or other intestinal atresia
- C: cardiac defects (VSD & tetralogy of Fallot are the most common)
- TE: tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF)
- R: renal malformations (e.g. horsheshoe kidney, renal agenesis, vesicoureteral reflux, hypospadias, dysplastic kidney, & cryptorchidism
- L: limb defects
Not all features are always present, but TEF is accepted as essential for the diagnosis, along with at least one other major defect in one of the five other categories
Most patients are developmentally normal