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Fig. 1: Omphalocele sac 14×10 cm with intestine as its content and umbilical cord cyst
Fig. 2: X-ray showing intestine as the content of the sac
Omphalocele also known as exomphalos is a midline defect characterized by the evisceration of abdominal contents covered by a protective sac. The wall of the sac is formed by (inside to outside) peritoneum, Wharton’s jelly and amnion[1]. The defect is most commonly located at the base of the umbilical stalk in the midline. In omphalocele, the bowel does not return to the abdominal cavity between 10-12th week of gestation[2]. The

Fig. 3: Short webbed neck of the infant
incidence of omphalocele ranges from 1.5 and 3 per 10,000 births[3,4]. Associated anomalies in omphalocele range from 50% -70% and are most important determinants in prognosis[5].
The treatment involves stabilization and surgical reduction of the sac content.
The syndromes associated with omphalocele include[6]:
• Otopalatodigital syndrome type II,
• Melnick-needles syndrome,
• Rieger syndrome,
• Meckel syndrome,
• Shprintzen-Goldberg omphalocele syndrome,
• Lethal omphalocele-cleft palate syndrome,
• Cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome,
• Fetal valproate syndrome,
• Marshall-Smith syndrome,
• Fryns syndrome,
•Donnai-barrow syndrome,
• Charge syndrome,
• Goltz syndrome,
• Carpenter syndrome,
• Toriello-Carey syndrome,
• Cornelia de Lange syndrome,
• Sprengel anomaly,
• Kennerknecht syndrome.
• Perinatal identification of omphalocele should be evaluated for omphalocele-related disorders and familial inheritance and a thorough genetic counseling should be done promptly for the parents.
• Omphalocele associated malformations should be searched as there are very high chances of having them and help in prognostication of the parents.
• Karyotypic study should be done to rule out chromosomal disorders associated with omphalocele.