Conservative treatment of giant omphalocele.

Omphalocele is a congenital malformation characterized by the failure of the abdominal walls to join together on the middle line as a consequence of a developmental defect. The diameter of the resulting opening may range from a few centimetres to the almost total absence of the abdominal wall. The diameter of the defect usually ranges from 3 to 8 cm. Naturally, the wider the opening, the more completely do the intestine and liver, covered only by the thin amniotic sac and peritoneum, protrude from the abdomen. The sac is so transparent that the abdominal organs contained in it can easily be recognized.