Gastroschisis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Infant abdominal hernia (gastroschisis)

Gastroschisis repair - series

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Gastroschisis

Treatment:

The bowel is surgically replaced in the abdomen and the defect closed if there is adequate room. If the abdominal cavity is too small, a mesh sack is sutured around the margins of the abdominal defect and the edges of the defect are pulled up. Gravity draws the herniated intestine back into the abdominal cavity, slowly stretching it to the point where the defect can be closed.

The baby is given intravenous nutrition, and antibiotics due to unavoidable contamination by the exposed gut. Temperature regulation is extremely important in these infants because the exposed intestine provides a huge surface area for heat loss.

Expectations (prognosis):

Likelihood of recovery is good if the abdominal cavity is relatively large enough. A very small abdominal cavity may result in complications requiring additional surgery.

Complications:

Respiratory distress (the misplaced abdominal contents can cause difficulty with expansion of the lungs)
Bowel death (necrosis)

Calling your health care provider:

This condition is apparent at birth and will be detected in the hospital at delivery. It may also be detected on routine fetal ultrasound exams. If you have given birth at home and your baby appears to have this defect, go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) immediately.

Review Date: 7/17/2004
Reviewed By: John Goldenring, M.D., MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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