title: Omphalocele: clinical review and surgical experience using dura patch grafts.
abstract: Over a period of 15 years we surgically treated 50 cases of omphaloceles. The pathology occurred more frequently in boys (n = 30) than in girls (n = 20). The mean birth weight was 2995 g and mean gestational age was 38 weeks. Four infants (8%) were delivered vaginally and the rest (92%) by cesarian section. Eleven infants (22%) underwent primary closure, but in 20 infants (40%) with larger defects a primary closure of the skin was possible; however, a single solvent-dried dura graft implant was employed for the fascia enlargement. The remaining 19 infants (38%) had extremely large defects, and optimal closure of the defect required a two layered graft implantation. Twenty-five infants (50%) had associated anomalies, the majority being congenital cardiac anomalies. Five patients (10%) required secondary laparotomies due to bowel associated complications. Four patients (8%) experienced non-bowel-associated complications. The average postoperative mechanical ventilation required was for a period of 3.2 days and the average hospital stay was 45.7 days. The overall mortality rate was 8% (n = 4) and was largely due to severe congenital heart anomalies. Solvent-dried dura was successfully employed in the management of the larger defects with no major complications; only one patient (2%) had a local abscess around the area of the implant and was managed conservatively. Our experience favors the employment of solvent-dried dura graft implants for the repair of large omphaloceles. The solvent-dried dura grafts are biomaterials that promote rapid scar formation and integration with the adjacent skin tissue and do not produce any foreign body reactions at the site of implantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Westfälische-Wilhelms Universität, Münster, Germany. saxena@post.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Willital
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006554:Hernia, Umbilical / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome