Medical Term and Classification of Congenital Malformations of the Abdominal Organs

Abstract

The committee of medical terminology in Japanese Association of Pediatric Surgeons has made tremendous works concerning about the medical terms of the pediatric surgical disease. I would like to pick up a few terms about congenital malformations of the abdominal organs. 1. Hirschsprung's disease. This disorder is known as ultrashort segment-, short segment-, intermediate segment-, long segment- and extensive aganglionosis, according to the length of aganglionosis, where, however, designation was different in each reporter. The new proporsal by the committee shows the most accurate term such as aganglionosis of lower rectum (or rectosigmoid, beyond rectosigmoid etc.) according to the extent of aganglionosis. 2. Gastroschisis and intrauterine rupture of omphalocele In 1953, Moore reported that gastroschisis was the malformation of the abdominal wall and it was entirely different from omphalocele which was defined an anomaly of the umbilical cord. There, however, are several discussions about this opinion and I would like to mention my own opinion that astroschisis is intrauterine rupture of the base of the umbilical cord.