Omphalocele
Disease Information
Overview
I'm sure that I'm one of many parents who credit Boston Children's Hospital with having saved their child's life. But I don't think many parents have had an experience quite like ours.
Parents of a child with an omphalocele
An omphalocele is a birth defect in which some of your baby's abdominal organs protrude through an opening in her abdominal muscles in the area of her umbilical cord.
- A translucent membrane covers the protruding organs.
- The omphalocele may be small, with only a portion of your baby's intestine protruding outside the abdominal cavity.
- It can also be larger, with most of your baby's abdominal organs (including intestine, liver and spleen) present outside the abdominal cavity.
- Also, your baby's abdominal cavity itself may be small due to underdevelopment during pregnancy.
