Rare Left-Sided Gastrochisis with Bifid Umbilical Cord

Abstract

Gastroschisis is condition characterized by a congenital herniation of abdominal viscera through a full thickness defect in the anterior abdominal wall, usually to the right of the umbilicus, with no protective covering. Left-sided gastroschisis, in which the defect occurs on the left side of the umbilical cord, is very rare compared to the common right-sided gastroschisis and it is usually associated with high incidence of other congenital anomalies. This is a case report of a newborn female referred from a district hospital with an abdominal wall defect that was not identified on antenatal ultrasound, with features consistent with a left-sided gastroschisis and a bifid umbilical cord at its fetal attachment site. Extensive research of literature reviews on left-sided gastroschisis showed a little over thirty (30) cases have been reported so far.