Meeting in the middle: pediatric abdominal wall reconstruction for omphalocele

Abstract

PurposeOmphalocele is a congenital abdominal wall defect with an incidence of 1/4,200 births. Repair timing varies from the neonatal period to the rst few years of life. Surgical technique has changed over the last two decades. We sought to establish improved surgical/ventilation protocols for patients with omphaloceles requiring abdominal reconstruction. MethodsAn IRB-approved retrospective review was performed on patients with omphalocele requiring abdominal wall reconstruction by Plastics and/or Pediatric Surgery at a pediatric tertiary-care referral center (January 2006-July 2021). Birth history, comorbidities, surgical details, ventilation data, complications/recurrence were extracted. ResultsOf 129 patients screened, seven required Plastic Surgery involvement. Defect size was 102.9 cm 2 (range: 24 -178.5); four patients required component separation; zero patients received mesh; zero