Aspects on the treatment of omphalocele and gastroschisis. Twenty years' clinical experience.

Sixty-one patients with abdominal wall defects (omphalocele 37; gastroschisis 24) were treated during a twenty-year period according to different therapeutical principles. An analysis showed that good results were obtained by means of primary radical closure, large lesions included. The silo-technique appeared to be less successful. The use of central vessels for infusion probably contributed to a negative outcome, while total parenteral nutrition (in peripheral veins) and postoperative assisted ventilation had positive effects. With the exception of the antenatal type of gastroschisis, our experience indicates that the vast majority of cases with omphalocele or gastroschisis can be successfully treated by means of radical primary repair.