Incidence of surgical procedures for gastrointestinal complications after abdominal wall closure in patients with gastroschisis and omphalocele

PURPOSE: This study aims to define the extent of additional surgical procedures after abdominal wall closure (AWC) in patients with gastroschisis (GS) and omphalocele (OC) with special focus on gastrointestinal related operations. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed including all operations in GS and OC patients in the first year after AWC (2010–2019). The risk for surgery was calculated using the one-year cumulative incidence (CI). RESULTS: 33 GS patients (18 simple GS, 15 complex) and 24 OC patients (12 without (= OCL), 12 OC patients with liver protrusion (= OCL +)) were eligible for analysis. 43 secondary operations (23 in GS, 20 in OC patients) occurred after a median time of 84 days (16–824) in GS and 114.5 days (12–4368) in OC. Patients with complex versus simple GS had a significantly higher risk of undergoing a secondary operation (one-year CI 64.3% vs. 24.4%; p = 0.05). 86.5% of surgical procedures in complex GS and 36.3% in OCL + were related to gastrointestinal complications. Complex GS had a significantly higher risk for GI-related surgery than simple GS. Bowel obstruction was a risk factor for surgery in complex GS (one-year CI 35.7%). CONCLUSION: Complex GS and OCL + patients had the highest risk of undergoing secondary operations, especially those with gastrointestinal complications. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00383-021-04977-0.