The article presents 42-year experiences with surgical treatment of atresia of the esophagus in 814 neonatals in the St. Petersburg Center of surgery in neonatals. Under analysis are the consecutive periods of work in this field, development and introduction into practice of the methods of surgical interventions, the original Bairov's operation--double esophagostomy--included. Factors responsible for results of the treatment of esophageal atresia are described. Improvement of the methods of treatment has resulted in a possibility mainly to make anastomoses of the esophagus and reduce lethality of neonatals with esophageal atresia from 81 to 7.7%.