The long term physical consequences of gastroschisis

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Emma L Harris1, Corrado Minutillo2, Susannah Hart3

  • 1King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Centre for Newborn Research and Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Journal of Pediatric Surgery
|October 5, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Gastroschisis survivors show improved growth but face ongoing health issues. While many achieve catch-up growth, some experience complications like abdominal pain and nutritional deficiencies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Neonatal Outcomes
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Gastroschisis is a congenital abdominal wall defect with high survival rates.
  • Long-term outcomes and quality of life for gastroschisis survivors require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term physical and metabolic health of children surviving gastroschisis.
  • To identify factors influencing outcomes in gastroschisis survivors.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 50 gastroschisis survivors was assessed at a median age of 9 years.
  • Assessments included health questionnaires, physical examinations, bone density, and nutritional blood markers.

Main Results:

  • Over half (54%) required further surgeries post-initial closure; 20% had complex gastroschisis.
  • Abdominal pain was frequent (41% weekly), and 24% were overweight or obese.
  • Children with complex gastroschisis had poorer weight and BMI z-scores compared to simple gastroschisis cases.

Conclusions:

  • High survival rates mask significant ongoing morbidity in gastroschisis survivors.
  • Simple gastroschisis survivors demonstrated catch-up growth, though a quarter became overweight.
  • Complex gastroschisis is associated with persistent growth deficits and metabolic concerns.
Abstract

Keywords:
Abdominal wall defectGastroschisisGrowthLong term outcomeMetabolic syndromeSurgical complications

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