Prenatal diagnosis of omphalocele and gastroschisis by ultrasonography.

As the use of ultrasonography has become a routine procedure in the care of pregnant women, fetal congenital malformations have been frequently diagnosed prenatally. During a 4-year period abdominal wall defects (AWD) were diagnosed in 14 cases, five were gastroschises and nine were omphaloceles, seven females and seven males. Concomitant malformations were present in one case of gastroschisis and in five cases of omphalocele. Eleven AWD's were diagnosed in the second trimester and six pregnancies were interrupted. Eight children with AWD were born; two boys with omphalocele and one girl and one boy with gastroschisis are still alive. Alpha-fetoprotein was determined in amniotic fluid in 11 cases and also in maternal serum prior to the amniocentesis in eight cases. Chromosomal investigations were performed in 13 cases, 11 on amniotic fluid cells and two on lymphocytes from a blood sample made postnatally. Two abnormal karyotypes, 47,XX + 18 were found.