The management of gastroschisis

A review of gastroschisis treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, in the ten years between 1967 and 1976, was carried out. Early postoperative deaths occurred in those with poor general condition before and immediately after the operation. The presence of a gastrostomy appears to be most effective in the immediate postoperative period to assist in decreasing intraabdominal pressure. The results of three initial operative methods are discussed. The three procedures are the Gross method; prosthetic closure; and the Savage and Davey method of transverse incision and closure. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the procedure described by Savage and Davey has been a most successful procedure in providing reliable and safe method of closure of gastroschisis, avoiding the complications and morbidity of staged closure using prosthetic material.