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Exomphalos - A birth disorder that affects approximately 1 out of every 5,000 live births. During fetal development, the abdominal wall does not develop properly and the contents of the abdomen will protrude into a sac through the umbilical cord. The sac can vary in size, ranging from small to very large. Exomphalos has been linked to other complications such as abnormalities of the heart, lungs, kidneys and Trisomy 18.
Prenatal diagnosis is possible through an ultrasound examination; however, not all cases are confirmed before birth. If a confirmation was made prior to birth, a cesarean section may be necessary for a safe delivery. If the exomphalos was not diagnosed prenatally, it will be easily confirmed after birth and the doctors will place a wrap around the exomphalos to protect it.
Treatment options include surgery to remove the sac and place the abdominal contents where they belong as well as medications to encourage skin growth.
Expectant Management - A decision that is made, either by the woman or physician, to wait for a miscarriage to occur naturally instead of depending on medical or surgical intervention to speed up the process.
Expulsive Effort - The last two to three final pushing efforts that are made by a laboring woman during vaginal childbirth that lead to expulsion of the fetus from the birth canal. These pushes take place during the second stage of labor, after the cervix has fully dilated.
Extended Radical Mastectomy - A mastectomy that includes removal of the underlying chest muscles, axillary lymph nodes and the internal mammary nodes.
External Cephalic Version - A procedure, performed by a doctor, for turning a fetus that is lying in a breech or transverse position so that its head will enter the birth canal first. When a fetus is sitting in a breech or transverse position close to the end of pregnancy or right before birth, an external cephalic version, or version, may be performed. If the procedure is successful, the woman can try a vaginal delivery. External cephalic version has a 58% sucess rate.
External Fetal Monitoring - A procedure in which the fetal heartbeat is detected by placing a small round ultrasound disc with ultrasound gel on the woman's abdomen. The ultrasound disc is held in place by a stretchy belt. It is not painful for the mother or the baby. Contractions are measured and recorded on a screen. This method does show how often the contractions are occuring and for how long, but does not show the strength of the contractions.
Extrauterine Pregnancy - A fertilized egg that has implanted outside of the uterus, is an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies are often called tubal pregnancies because 95% of the time the egg settles in the fallopian tube. The egg can also implant in the ovary, abdomen, or the cervix, so you may see these referred to as cervical or abdominal pregnancies. None of these areas have as much space or nurturing tissue as a uterus for a pregnancy to develop. As the fetus grows, it will eventually burst the organ that contains it. This can cause severe bleeding and threaten the mother's life. A classical ectopic pregnancy never develops into a live birth. An ectopic pregnancy must be terminated.