Perinatal aspects of omphalocele and gastroschisis
P. M. Colombani and M. D. Cunningham
Forty-one infants treated for abdominal wall defects were studied
retrospectively. Using established anatomic criteria the infants were
identified as having either an omphalocele or gastroschisis. They were
compared for maternal and infant characteristics to determine if distinct
perinatal characteristics exist between the two groups. Gastroschisis
patients had lower mean maternal age, were more likely to be first born,
and to be of lower birth weight. Major malformations apart from those
associated with the gastrointestinal tract and the anterior abdominal wall
occurred 12 times more often in omphalocele patients. Ventral defects
warrant a careful anatomical and clinical differentiation, and in the case
of omphalocele, a thorough search for other anomalies.
