ABSTRACT
Primary surgical closure for the treatment of giant omphalocele is punctuated by the onset of unpleasant complications. Conservative treatment is an option in low-income countries where neonatal resuscitation is associated with high mortality rates. We conducted a prospective study of patients admitted to the University Clinics of Lubumbashi between January and April 2020 and receiving conservative treatment based on dissodic 2% aqueous eosin according to a defined protocol. Three patients were included in our series. The mean age was 24 hours (1 - 48); they were all full term newborns (38 - 39 SA), born vaginally and with no prenatal diagnosis. Mean birth weight was 2,800 grams (2,400 - 3,000). Mean amniotic sac diameter was 13.7 cm (11 - 15 cm); it contained the liver in all cases. The median time to enteral feed was 4.3 days (4 - 5 days), to granulation was 31.7 days (30 - 33 days) and to epithelialization was 71.7 days (60 - 90 days). No death was reported. These preliminary results encourage the use of disodium aqueous eosin for the conservative treatment of unbroken giant omphaloceles.
