A congenital defect of the anterior abdominal wall, occurring in about 1 in 3,000 fetuses, in which the intestines herniate out of the abdominal cavity. It is treated, soon after delivery, either by sewing in a Teflon mesh coated with plastic to the edges of the defect, thereby protecting the intestines, which is serially tightened over time until the abdominal contents have completely returned to their proper site. The overlying FASCIA is then repaired so that there is full closure. An alternative method is to attach a spring-loaded ring of Teflon mesh to the edges of the defect. Some of these infants have an associated abnormality of the intestine and may have persisting problems with absorbing food material and with the normal motility of the gut.