SERIAL TRANSABDOMINAL AMNIOINFUSION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF GASTROSCHISIS WITH SEVERE OLIGOHYDRAMNIOS

Two fetuses with gastroschisis diagnosed in utero (at 19 weeks' gestat ion) had severe oligohydramnios at 30 to 31 weeks. Serial transabdomin al amnioinfusions were performed to fill the amniotic cavity with sali ne, thereby avoiding the potential consequences of fetal exposure to s evere oligohydramnios. In both cases, premature rupture of membranes o ccurred at 36 weeks, and the fetuses were delivered by cesarean sectio n. There were minimal lesions of the extraabdominal bowel. After prima ry closure of the abdomen, the postoperative course was uneventful. Th ese observations show that serial amnioinfusion is a feasible therapeu tic approach for severe third-trimester oligohydramnios associated wit h gastroschisis. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company