An omphalocele is a type of abdominal wall defect in which the intestines, liver, and occasionally other organs remain outside of the abdomen in a sac because of a defect in the development of the muscles of the abdominal wall.
The sac, which is formed from an outpouching of peritoneum, protrudes in the midline, through the umbilicus (navel).
It is normal for the intestines to protrude from the abdomen, into the umbilical cord, until about the tenth week of pregnancy, after which they return to inside the fetal abdomen.
The omphalocele can be mild, with only a small loop of intestines present outside the abdomen, or severe, containing most of the abdominal organs. In severe cases surgical treatment is made more difficult because the infant's abdomen is abnormally small because it had no need to expand to accommodate the developing organs. hope this helps answer this question , thanks for asking!
This answer was edited by kbky11 320 days ago.
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