Gastroschisis is a birth defect of the abdominal wall. The baby’s intestines are found outside of the baby’s body, exiting through a hole beside the belly button. The hole can be small or large and sometimes other organs, such as the stomach and liver, can also be found outside of the baby’s body. Following delivery, intravenous fluids will provide nourishment and treatment will begin to replace the baby’s organs back into the abdomen with surgery often required depending on the severity of the condition.
Gastroschisis has similar incidence to Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, around 1 in 2000 births, and is mainly diagnosed antenatally with most identified pregnancies surviving to term. This means an expected national number of around 20-25 newborns per year in Scotland.
Patient Information Leaflet (Nov 2023): web version / print version
Useful Links
Please find below link to useful information about Gastroschisis.