Gastroschisis and exomphalos

What is it?

These are conditions where the muscle and skin of the baby’s abdomen do not grow properly so that some of the baby’s internal organs are outside his body. With gastroschisis, the organs are completely exposed, but with exomphalos there is a covering over them.

What causes it?

These are congenital conditions which means that something goes wrong during the baby’s development in the womb. These conditions can sometimes be detected by ultrasound.

Looking after a child with gastroschisis or exomphalos

Both conditions can be operated on shortly after the baby is born and the operations are usually completely successful. Sometimes, babies with exomphalos have other problems as well.