Esophageal obstruction and intracardiac "mass" in association with omphalocele closure.

Patients with large omphaloceles are subject to anatomical displacement and morphological distorsion after surgical repair. We report 2 such complications in an infant after repair of a giant omphalocele that contained both liver and bowel. Esophageal obstruction resulted from sharp, anterior angulation of the distal esophagus that hindered placement of a feeding tube in the neonatal period. At 1 year of age, routine cardiac evaluation led to the discovery of a "mass" within the heart caused by invagination of a tongue of liver tissue into the right atrium. Knowledge of these less well-recognized anatomical variations is important to avoid unnecessary interventions.