Omphalocele: treatment options.

The charts of 62 infants born with an omphalocele were reviewed to determine both the timing and type of treatment that yielded the most satisfactory result. Infants born with an omphalocele can be divided into prognostic groups based on physical examination and simple roentgenograms. No single treatment method is applicable to or optimal for all types of omphalocele. Treatment options can be selected based on the presence or absence of conditions requiring emergency operation, the presence of complicating anomalies, and the size of the omphalocele. Although urgent evaluation of all infants born with an omphalocele is essential, emergency operation should be avoided in selected cases.