The following is from The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia website:
Omphalocele is a rare birth defect that occurs in 1 in 4,000 — 7,000 live births. It is a type of abdominal wall defect in which the bowel, liver and other abdominal organs protrude out of the abdomen and into the base of the umbilical cord. Surgical repair is performed primarily in stages, or after a period of waiting which can last several months.
Omphalocele occurs very early in pregnancy when the abdominal cavity fails to form normally. The abdominal cavity is normally formed at three to four weeks gestation when the disk-like embryo undergoes infolding. A large or “giant” omphalocele forms when there is a failure of lateral infolding of the embryo, resulting in an inadequate abdominal cavity with containment of the abdominal organs only by a thin clear membrane called the omphalocele sac.
The following covers Treatment and Long-term outlook and is from the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital website:
Treatment:
While your baby is in the delivery room the sac will be kept moist and covered with plastic to protect the bowel.
Your baby will need to be in a special unit called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which takes care of sick babies after birth.
You and your baby’s surgeon will discuss the best way to repair the omphalocele based on your baby’s health.
If your baby’s omphalocele is small, surgery may be done soon after birth. The surgeon will place the bowel and other organs in the sac into the belly and close the opening.
If the omphalocele is larger, your baby’s belly will need to grow or be stretched enough before the surgery can be done. The repair would then be done in stages. If the sac ruptures before it is repaired, the baby will need to have surgery right away.
Sometimes the omphalocele can be too large to repair right away. Skin will grow to cover the sac with the help of medication, good skin care and nutrition. If this happens, your baby will then have surgery to close the belly muscles in six to 12 months when the belly is larger.
Most babies with an omphalocele will be able to go home from the hospital once they are taking all their bottles and after the family has learned the how to change the dressing and to protect the sac.
Long-term Outlook:
Most babies with omphaloceles do well. The survival rate is over 90 percent if the baby’s only issue is an omphalocele. The survival rate for babies who have an omphalocele and serious problems with other organs is about 70 percent.
Your baby may also have some feeding difficulty, reflux, growth delays and bowel obstruction and could have long-term breathing problems. Your baby may be more prone to sickness than other babies.
Close follow-up with the doctor and care team is needed once your baby goes home.
Omphalocele is a rare birth defect that occurs in 1 in 4,000 — 7,000 live births. It is a type of abdominal wall defect in which the bowel, liver and other abdominal organs protrude out of the abdomen and into the base of the umbilical cord. Surgical repair is performed primarily in stages, or after a period of waiting which can last several months.
Omphalocele occurs very early in pregnancy when the abdominal cavity fails to form normally. The abdominal cavity is normally formed at three to four weeks gestation when the disk-like embryo undergoes infolding. A large or “giant” omphalocele forms when there is a failure of lateral infolding of the embryo, resulting in an inadequate abdominal cavity with containment of the abdominal organs only by a thin clear membrane called the omphalocele sac.
The following covers Treatment and Long-term outlook and is from the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital website:
Treatment:
While your baby is in the delivery room the sac will be kept moist and covered with plastic to protect the bowel.
Your baby will need to be in a special unit called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which takes care of sick babies after birth.
You and your baby’s surgeon will discuss the best way to repair the omphalocele based on your baby’s health.
If your baby’s omphalocele is small, surgery may be done soon after birth. The surgeon will place the bowel and other organs in the sac into the belly and close the opening.
If the omphalocele is larger, your baby’s belly will need to grow or be stretched enough before the surgery can be done. The repair would then be done in stages. If the sac ruptures before it is repaired, the baby will need to have surgery right away.
Sometimes the omphalocele can be too large to repair right away. Skin will grow to cover the sac with the help of medication, good skin care and nutrition. If this happens, your baby will then have surgery to close the belly muscles in six to 12 months when the belly is larger.
Most babies with an omphalocele will be able to go home from the hospital once they are taking all their bottles and after the family has learned the how to change the dressing and to protect the sac.
Long-term Outlook:
Most babies with omphaloceles do well. The survival rate is over 90 percent if the baby’s only issue is an omphalocele. The survival rate for babies who have an omphalocele and serious problems with other organs is about 70 percent.
Your baby may also have some feeding difficulty, reflux, growth delays and bowel obstruction and could have long-term breathing problems. Your baby may be more prone to sickness than other babies.
Close follow-up with the doctor and care team is needed once your baby goes home.