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Review of the evidence on the closure of abdominal wall defects

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Abstract

Infants with congenital abdominal wall defects pose an interesting and challenging management issue for surgeons. We attempt to review the literature to define the current treatment modalities and their application in practice. In gastroschisis, the overall strategies for repair include immediate closure or delayed operative repair. The best level of data for gastroschisis is grade C and appears to support that there is no major difference in survival between immediate closure or delayed repair. In patients with omphalocele, the management techniques are more varied consisting of immediate closure, staged closure or delayed closure after epithelialization. The literature is less clear on when to use one technique over the other, consisting of mostly grade D and E data. In patients with omphalocele, a registry to collect information on patients with larger defects may help determine which of the management strategies is optimal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Vincent E. Mortellaro, Shawn D. St. Peter & Frankie B. Fike

  2. Division of Pediatric Surgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, 1600 SW Archer Rd., PO Box 100119, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA

    Saleem Islam

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  1. Vincent E. Mortellaro
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Mortellaro, V.E., Peter, S.D.S., Fike, F.B. et al. Review of the evidence on the closure of abdominal wall defects. Pediatr Surg Int 27, 391–397 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-010-2803-2

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