Treatment 
There are many new treatment options that are being explored for the repair of Gastroschisis. The most traditional method that is being used today however is broken down like this:

• Your baby will receive general anesthesia, which allows your baby to remain pain free throughout the procedure. 
• The surgeon will then examine your baby's intestines (bowel) closely for signs and symptoms of damage or other birth defects. If the surgeon does find damaged parts, he will remove that section of the bowel and stitch the healthy edges together. 
• The organs that are outside of your baby's belly will be slowly inserted back through the opening in the abdomen. 
• If possible, the surgeon will repair the opening in the abdomen. 

This method can be performed right after the birth of your baby, however if the bowels are too big or damage from prolonged exposure to amniotic fluid the surgeon will not perform surgery for repair. If this is the case, your baby's intestines will be placed in what is called a Gastroschisis silo. This is where the exposed bowel is placed into a protective barrier, and over the course of a week or so the surgeon will guide the intestines back into the abdomen to prevent overloading the abdomen at once. 

One study found that the use of a Gastroschisis silo is the most simple, quick and effective way to place the bowel back into the abdomen. It allows for natural accommodation of the bowel into the abdominal cavity with little edema and vascular compromise and was the studies first choice in treatment of Gastroschisis (Fischer, Moores, Andrews, 1995). 

Signs/Symptoms of Complications From Gastroschisis Repair 

• Bilious or green vomiting 
• Bloated stomach
• No interest in feeding 
• Edema 
• Vascular compromise 

Fischer, J. D., Chun, K., Moores, D. C., & Andrews, H. (1995). Gastroschisis: A simple technique for staged silo closure. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 30(8), 1169-1171. Retrieved February 28, 2016.

Harrison, M. R. (2015, March). Gastroschisis. Retrieved February 28, 2016, from http://www.pedsurg.ucsf.edu/conditions--procedures/gastroschisis.aspx

Signs and Symptoms of Gastroschisis 
There are no apparent signs and symptoms of Gastroschisis in utero or directly related to the mother, the only way of knowing its presence is by ultrasound. In an ultrasound you will see a large lump outside of the babies abdomen, usually appearing close to the umbilical cord (Chung, 2012).This is where you will see signs/symptoms including, small abdominal cavity, herniated intestines, swollen intestines and that opening in the abdominal wall previously mentioned. After birth, there are many symptoms and complications that can arise for a baby with Gastroschisis. Symptoms related to Gastroschisis can come from the twisting, squeezing, pinching and damage done to the organs as they passed through the narrow opening of the abdomen. Upon delivery of the baby, the doctor will assess the organs and make sure there is absence of major damage. In addition, about 1 in 10 babies with Gastroschisis will experience another bowel problem called intestinal atresia. This is occurs when part of the infant's intestine has not formed completely and becomes blocked. After treatment of Gastroschisis, babies can experience trouble digesting food, often forcing them to maintain a special diet while their body continues to heal (Chung, 2012).

Chung DH. Pediatric surgery. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds.Sabiston Textbook of Surgery.19th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2012:chap 67.

Diagnosis
Gastroschisis is fairly easy to detect early on in a woman's pregnancy. It is usually detected in the second trimester using antenatal sonography, a high frequency scan that allows us to see the baby's movement. The diagnosis of Gastroschisis can be made before 20 weeks gestation however, and even as early as 12 weeks! In early pregnancy, we can see the bowel loops freely floating in the amniotic fluid with the thickness and diameter of the bowel at a normal measurement. Later on in pregnancy more complications with the bowel can be detected. These include bowel obstruction, peritonitis, bowel perforation, and fetal growth restriction. Another method used to diagnose involves testing for  an elevated amniotic fluid alpha-feta protein level (AFP). This is caused because the herniated bowel is floating in amniotic fluid, which raises the maternal serum and AFP levels in a mother. Using AFP levels to diagnose a baby with Gastroschisis occurs between 77-100% of the time (Khan, 2015).

Khan, A. N. (2015, September 9). Gastroschisis. Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/403800-overview

Gastroschisis is becoming more common as the incedince in the United States and abroad rises. The CDC claims that about 1,871 babies are born each year with Gastroschisis. So what factors contribute to this birth defect? Unfortunately, the exact cause of Gastroschisis is unknown to a certain extent. Common links that have been attributed include changes in the babies genes, mother's lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking, things she may come in contact with in her environment, certain medicines and possibly what she eats and drinks (CDC, 2016). As the CDC continues to study and research these exact links they have also found that younger teenage mothers were at a higher risk than older mothers. It was also found that white females among this young group were more likely to have a baby with Gastroschisis than black teenage mothers. Of these babies born with Gastroschisis, one study reported that 95% will survive hospitalization and treatment. Factors that lead to poor outcomes for these babies were found to include; cardiac disease, gastrointestinal, respiratory and infectious disease complications. Among the highest in these categories for causing mortality included, intestinal atresia, cardiac anomalies, lung hypoplasia and sepsis (Lao, Larison, Garrison, Waldhausen, Goldin, 2010). Another study found a possible cause regarding the pathophysiology and process of Gastroschisis. One hypothesis is that the high level of estrogen during early pregnancy causes thrombosis of fetal vessels; palmitic acid, which is a byproduct of thrombosis, affects cell signaling and prevents the fusion of body wall folds. This occurrence of thrombohilia explains the early onset of Gastroschisis and its high incidence in young mothers (Raveenthiran, 2012). 

Lao, O. B., Larison, C., Garrison, M. M., Waldhausen, J. H. T., & Goldin, A. B. (2010). Outcomes in Neonates with Gastroschisis in U.S. Children’s Hospitals.American Journal of Perinatology, 27(1), 97–101. http://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1241729

Raveenthiran, V. (2012). Etiology of Gastroschisis. Journal of Neonatal Surgery, 1(4), 53.