Types of Abdominal Wall Defects

There are two different types of defect in the abdominal wall:

• Omphalocoele
• Gastroschisis

Although they demonstrate somewhat different appearances and may have very different outcomes, the important thing for the sonographer to demonstrate is the presence of abdominal contents outside the fetal abdomen.

Usually a gastroschisis will contain only gut, whereas an omphalocoele may contain gut, liver etc.