Objective: Our purpose was to investigate the influence of the mode of delivery on the outcome of children with gastroschisis.
Methods: 38 children were born and treated at the University Hospital of Graz between 1977 and 1995. The perinatal and surgical data were analyzed retrospectively. Furthermore, we compared the prevalence of gastroschisis in Styria to international data.
Results: The mode of delivery did not influence the fetal outcome. The higher rate of acidosis and shorter interval from rupture of the membranes to delivery in cases of cesarean section may be attributable to the obstetric decision for an operative delivery. The prevalence of gastroschisis is high as compared to European data.
Conclusions: Our data and the majority of publications do not show a benefit of cesarean section for children with gastroschisis. A randomized prospective trial is still lacking to end controversies.