Follow-up Care of Infants with Abdominal Wall Defects (10 of 11)

Babies born with abdominal wall defects will receive long-term follow-up care to monitor growth and development. http://fetalsurgery.chop.edu.

Follow-up for gastroschisis includes being monitored by a pediatrician and pediatric surgeon. Families and pediatricians should pay close attention to growth as the intestine heals and the child grows.

Infants with omphalocele should be monitored for complications related to small lungs. Children with a small omphalocele can typically be managed by their pediatrician and pediatric surgeon. For babies with a giant omphalocele, lung growth and pulmonary function should be closely monitored by a multidisciplinary team.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has a dedicated Pulmonary Hypoplasia Program that follows infants with small, underdeveloped lungs, some of which are related to abdominal wall defects. Children with small lungs are followed by a multidisciplinary team of experts, including pediatric surgery, neonatology, gastroenterology, pulmonology and nutrition.