Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein was elevated in 89 per cent of the cases with exomphalos and in 100 per cent of the cases with gastroschisis and body stalk anomalies in which it was tested.
We recommend that a systematic evaluation be performed on every fetus with an omphalocele to include amniotic fluid alpha fetoprotein, acetylcholinesterase levels, chromosome study, and careful ultrasonography looking for evidence of other abnormalities, especially neural tube defects, before counseling the parents.