What is the Difference Between Omphalocele and Gastroschisis

The key difference between omphalocele and gastroschisis is that omphalocele is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed at the belly button, while gastroschisis is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed near the belly button but not directly over it.

Omphalocele and gastroschisis are two abdominal birth defects. In these conditions, an abnormal opening develops directly at the belly button or near the belly button. Omphalocele and gastroschisis are also two congenital defects of the abdominal wall, resulting in intestinal herniation, usually from the abdominal cavity. Both these conditions may result in complications and need surgical intervention.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Omphalocele 
3. What is Gastroschisis
4. Similarities – Omphalocele and Gastroschisis
5. Omphalocele vs Gastroschisis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Omphalocele vs Gastroschisis

What is Omphalocele?

Omphalocele is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed at the belly button. This condition also involves missing skin, muscle, and fibrous tissue. Due to the opening, the intestine spills out, but it is covered by a thin sac. Moreover, the umbilical cord is at the centre of the birth defect. In this condition, abdominal organs develop outside the belly. Babies with this condition may also have other health conditions. It affects approximately 1 in every 4200 babies in U.S. Omphalocele usually occurs when the intestine fails to return to the abdomen at the 11^th week of the pregnancy. The signs and symptoms of omphalocele are protrusion of the abdominal organs through the abdominal muscle wall, poor lung development, the intestine that is slow to handle food, heart malformation, Beckwith-Wiedeman syndrome, and chromosome abnormalities.

Omphalocele is diagnosed through blood tests, ultrasound, MRIs, and amniocentesis. Furthermore, treatment options for omphalocele may include surgeries and breathing assistance through a ventilator. For a small omphalocele, surgery is performed immediately after the birth. However, for a large omphalocele, the surgery is performed a little later or in stages.

What is Gastroschisis?

Gastroschisis is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed near the belly button but not directly over it. Like, in omphalocele, the opening in the abdominal wall allows the intestine to spill out. But the intestine is not covered by a thin sac as in omphalocele. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include protrusion of the abdominal organs through the abdominal muscle wall (stomach or large intestine are located on the baby’s body), swollen intestine, twisted intestine, and low body temperature. Moreover, gastroschisis is caused by a combination of genes and other factors like things the mother comes into contact with in the environment, what the mother eats or drinks, and certain medicines used during pregnancy.

Gastroschisis can be diagnosed through prenatal tests, ultrasound, blood screening, and MRI. Furthermore, treatment options for gastroschisis are initial surgeries (primary repair and staged repair), additional repair to fix the baby’s abdomen muscle and intestine, preventing infection, dehydration, and damage to the exposed organ by putting them into a plastic bag, and other surgeries such as bowel resection and ileostomy, and providing intravenous fluid.

What are the Similarities Between Omphalocele and Gastroschisis?

• Omphalocele and gastroschisis are two abdominal birth defects.
• In these conditions, an abnormal opening develops directly at the belly button or near the belly button.
• Both these are also two congenital defects of the abdominal wall, resulting in intestinal herniation, usually from the abdominal cavity.
• Both these conditions can be diagnosed through ultrasound and MRI.
• These conditions may result in complications and need surgical intervention.

What is the Difference Between Omphalocele and Gastroschisis?

Omphalocele is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed at the belly button, while gastroschisis is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed near the belly button but not directly over it. Thus, this is the key difference between omphalocele and gastroschisis. Furthermore, in the omphalocele, the intestine is covered by a thin sac, while in gastroschisis, the intestine is not covered by a thin sac.

The below infographic presents the differences between omphalocele and gastroschisis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Omphalocele vs Gastroschisis

Omphalocele and gastroschisis are two congenital abdominal wall defects. Both are rare conditions in babies. Omphalocele is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed at the belly button, while gastroschisis is an abdominal birth defect where an abnormal opening is formed near the belly button but not directly over it. So, this is the key difference between omphalocele and gastroschisis.

Reference:

1. “Omphalocele: Treatment, Diagnosis, Causes & Outlook.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Gastroschisis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “LBWC” By see above – Plakkal N, John J, Jacob SE, Chithira J, Sampath S. Limb body wall complex in a stillborn fetus: a case report. Cases J. 1, 1, 86. 2008. doi:10.1186/1757-1626-1-86. PMID 18699998 (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Gastrochisis 0001” By Mme Mim – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia