Understanding gastroschisis and its clinical management: where are we?

Understanding gastroschisis and its clinical management: where are we? Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Feb 08;: Authors: Haddock C, Skarsgard ED Abstract INTRODUCTION: Gastroschisis is the commonest developmental defect of the anterior abdominal wall in both developed and developing countries. The past 30 years have seen transformational improvements in outcome due to advances in neonatal intensive care and enhanced integration between the disciplines of maternal fetal medicine, neonatology and pediatric surgery. A review of gastroschisis, which emphasizes its epidemiology, multidisciplinary care strategies and contemporary outcomes is timely. Areas covered: This review discusses the current state of knowledge related to prevalence and causation, and postulated embryopathologic mechanisms contributing to the development of gastroschisis. Using relevant, current literature with an emphasis on high level evidence where it exists, we review modern techniques of prenatal diagnosis, pre and postnatal risk stratification, preferred timing and method of delivery, options for abdominal wall closure, nutritional management, and short and long term clinical and neurodevelopmental followup. Expert Commentary: This section explores controversies in contemporary management which contribute to practice and cost variation and discusses the benefits of novel nutritional therapies and care standardization that target unnecessary practice varia...
Source: Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol Source Type: research