Neonatal surgery
- Gastroschisis
- A defect to the right of the umbilical cord, with bowel outside the body and no covering sac. More common in young mothers. Usually an isolated problem, though about 1 in 10 have intestinal atresia.
- Exomphalos
- A central defect at the umbilicus, with contents covered by a membrane sac. Often associated with other anomalies, including heart defects, trisomy 13, 18 or 21 and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.
- Found
- Both are usually picked up on the antenatal scan.
- Treatment
- In gastroschisis the bowel is returned straight away, or gradually using a silo. A small exomphalos is closed early; a giant one may be painted and left to skin over, with closure later.
Source: Radiopaedia: gastroschisis ยท Radiopaedia: omphalocele
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