Evaluation of the management of omphalocele at Dakar

Omphalocele is a congenital malformation of the abdominal wall of children, characterized by an ombilical defect living the abdominal organ visible through a translucent amniotic membrana. The goals of this study were to describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics at the University Teaching Hospital of Dakar. We conducted a retrospective study at the UniversityTeaching Hospital of Dakar from January 1997 to December 2002. Fifty cases of Omphalocele diagnosed at the Unit of Paediatric Surgery of the Department of General Surgery at Aristide Le Dantec Hospital, were included in this study. We described the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of omphalocele. Omphalocele is a condition diagnosed late in boys from poor sphere. The study revealed that weight from birth, omphalocele size, local state, and existance of associated malformation correlated with death rate. The treatment option was a spontaneous epidermisation as described by Grob in the absence of omphalocele rupture wich imposed a primary closure of abdominal wall. The overall death rate was 42%. The improvement of results will need an antenative diagnosis, paediatric reanimation unit wich will notably reduce death rate.