BEHANDLUNG VON KINDERN MIT OMPHALOZELEN UND GASTROSCHISIS. OPERATIONSTAKTISCHE UND -TECHNISCHE KONSEQUENZEN DER PRANATALEN UND INTRAOPERATIVEN SONOGRAPHIE

At the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the University Hospital, Mainz, 65 children with gastroschisis or omphalocele seen between 1970 and 1984, were studied with a view to deriving possible consequeces from prenatal and intraoperative ultrasonography. The results show that for both anomalies an improvement in therapeutic results is seen when birth is effected between the 36th and 37th week of pregnancy by Caesarean section - i.e. at a weitht at birth of 2350 g in children with gastroschisis and 2700 g in those with omphalocele. In 4 children the vena cava was, for the first time, ultrasonographed intraoperatively during closure of the defect. With this procedure, hemodynamic complications due to increased intra-abdominal pressure druing closure of the abdominal wall under tension, can be avoided.