Omphalocele and gastroschisis in Sweden 1965--1976.

The present investigation supports the view that omphalocele and gastroschisis are two different congenital malformations. They differ not only anatomically but also regarding the incidence of concomitant malformations, sex ratio and maternal age. There has been a significant increase in the incidence of gastroschisis in Sweden during the period 1965--1976 but no corresponding increase in the incidence of omphalocele. The incidence of abdominal wall defects in stillborn is twenty times higher than in liveborn children.