Search Results (848)

This narrative literature review examines whether psychobiography, an established methodology within contemporary psychology, can be reconceived as a genuinely decolonial tool for supporting post-colonial identity development among African peoples. Moving beyond the simple inclusion of African subjects within existing biographical frameworks, the review argues that effective decolonisation requires transformation at the level of theory, method, and interpretive authority, not merely at the level of subject selection. Drawing on a systematically documented search of academic databases and a thematic synthesis of the resulting literature, the review traces the epistemological foundations of African psychology, the unresolved debate over what African psychology should be the psychology of, and the relevance of Ubuntu, relationality, and community-centred knowing to biographical inquiry. It then examines psychobiography’s historical development, its capacity to support narrative sovereignty and Black Consciousness-informed identity work, and its restorative potential for peoples whose histories have been systematically fragmented and distorted. Particular attention is given to the practical operationalisation of decolonial method, including a worked illustration contrasting conventional and Ubuntu-informed interpretive approaches, concrete proposals for embedding decolonised psychobiography within clinical and counselling training, and the ethical friction between communal knowledge systems and individualistic institutional research governance. The review concludes that psychobiography, when rigorously decolonised, offers African psychology something rare: a tangible, teachable, and replicable methodological pipeline capable of translating decolonial critique into sustained professional and community practice, while identifying concrete directions for future empirical, comparative, and pedagogical research. Full article

Objective: To evaluate the association between daily meteorological variability and pediatric afebrile seizure presentations using ecological time-series analysis and Distributed Lag Non-linear Models (DLNMs). Methods: This retrospective ecological time-series study was conducted in a tertiary pediatric emergency department in northwestern Türkiye. Pediatric seizure-related presentations recorded between January 2019 and December 2023 were retrospectively screened for case identification and clinical validation. The primary environmental exposure analysis was restricted to eligible afebrile seizure presentations occurring during the 2023 calendar year and linked to synchronized daily meteorological data. Associations between meteorological variables and daily afebrile seizure presentation counts were assessed using multivariable Quasi-Poisson regression and Distributed Lag Non-linear Models (DLNMs). Results: Among 777 screened seizure-related presentations, 67 children contributing 157 afebrile seizure presentations during 2023 were included. Relative humidity showed the strongest independent association with pediatric afebrile seizure presentations. Each 10-percentage-point increase in relative humidity was associated with an 18.6% higher rate of pediatric afebrile seizure presentations (IRR = 1.186; 95% CI: 1.103–1.275; p < 0.001). DLNM analysis demonstrated a significant cumulative delayed association, with a 10-percentage-point increase in relative humidity associated with a 15% higher cumulative rate of afebrile seizure presentations across the 0–3-day lag period (cumulative IRR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.08–1.22; p < 0.001). Ambient temperature and precipitation demonstrated less consistent associations across analytical approaches, whereas humidity-related effects remained robust throughout all analyses. Conclusions: Higher relative humidity was associated with increased pediatric afebrile seizure presentations and represented the only meteorological exposure demonstrating both significant contemporaneous and cumulative delayed associations. These findings suggest that meteorological variability, particularly relative humidity, may contribute to short-term and delayed fluctuations in seizure-related healthcare utilization among children. Given the single-center ecological design and the one-year environmental exposure period, these findings should be interpreted as population-level and hypothesis-generating and should not be considered a basis for individual risk prediction or humidity-based clinical counseling. Further multicenter, multi-year prospective studies incorporating individual-level and higher-resolution environmental exposure assessment are needed to confirm these findings and clarify the biological mechanisms underlying humidity-associated seizure susceptibility in pediatric populations. Full article

Background: Chinese international students may experience language and cultural challenges when using university counselling services. This study examined the associations between perceived language barriers, cultural differences, and counselling satisfaction and explored students’ counselling experiences using a mixed-methods approach. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. A total of 125 Chinese international students with previous university counselling experience completed an online questionnaire assessing counselling satisfaction, perceived language barriers, and cultural differences. Descriptive statistical analysis, group comparisons, correlation analysis, and multiple regression were conducted. Subsequently, 10 participants completed semi-structured interviews. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, and qualitative findings were integrated with the quantitative results. Results: Perceived language barriers and cultural differences were negatively associated with counselling satisfaction in bivariate analyses. In the regression model, cultural differences showed the strongest negative association with counselling satisfaction, whereas language barriers were no longer statistically significant. The model explained 18.2% of the variance in counselling satisfaction. Qualitative findings indicated that second-language use could create cognitive and communicative difficulties but could also provide emotional distance that facilitated disclosure. Participants also emphasized empathy, cultural responsiveness, trust, goal alignment, and therapeutic collaboration. Conclusions: Cultural differences may be particularly important in understanding counselling satisfaction among Chinese international students, while the role of language appears complex rather than uniformly negative. Alliance-related experiences may help students navigate linguistic and cultural difficulties. Further research should use validated measures of working alliance and language and cultural barriers. Full article

Adolescent mental health is a high priority in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet perspectives may differ among youth and adult providers responsible for supporting mental health within schools. These differences may create challenges for designing contextually appropriate school-based preventive strategies. This qualitative study compared adolescent and school guidance and counseling coordinator (GCC) perspectives on factors influencing adolescent mental health and support in all 12 public senior high schools in Tamale, Ghana. GCC data were collected through semi-structured interviews informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and adolescent data was through human-centered design workshops. Data were analyzed using rapid qualitative analysis and organized using the Social Ecological Model. At the individual level, adolescents linked emotional distress, stress, and substance use to mental health challenges, whereas GCCs more commonly framed these as behavioral or academic challenges. At the interpersonal level, both groups identified peer relationships and confidentiality as important influences on help-seeking; adolescents emphasized trusted peer relationships, while GCCs described challenges implementing peer counseling approaches within schools. At the organizational level, adolescents emphasized teacher attitudes and punitive school responses to student distress, while GCCs emphasized staffing shortages, limited infrastructure, and insufficient institutional support. At the community level, both groups identified stigma and gendered social norms as barriers to mental health support. Adolescents and GCCs identified similar concerns but differed in how they understood adolescent mental health and support within schools. Integrating both youth and provider perspectives may strengthen multilevel school-based preventive strategies in resource-constrained settings. Full article

Background: Genetic eye diseases (GEDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of hereditary and de novo disorders that involve all ocular structures, including the retina, optic nerve, vitreous, anterior segment, and ocular development. Their marked clinical and genetic heterogeneity frequently delays diagnosis and access to genetic counseling, multidisciplinary management, and emerging gene-based therapies. Although ophthalmic deep phenotyping remains essential, we propose an approach that prioritizes genetic analysis, particularly in under-resourced healthcare settings with limited access to advanced imaging and electrophysiological tests. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of 101 consecutive patients with suspected genetic eye diseases. All were evaluated at a tertiary referral center in northeastern Mexico between January 2020 and August 2023 through comprehensive ophthalmologic examination supplemented by optical coherence tomography, visual-field testing, and fundus photography when clinically indicated. All patients were offered early molecular testing while awaiting future tests, such as electrophysiological testing or further referral visits. Molecular testing consisted of an ophthalmology-focused next-generation sequencing multigene panel. Results: The primary outcome was molecular diagnostic yield. A clinically actionable molecular diagnosis was established in 45 patients, corresponding to an overall molecular diagnostic yield of 44.6%. A total of 165 variants were identified, including 70 pathogenic, 16 likely pathogenic, 43 variants of uncertain significance, and 36 likely benign variants. Usher syndrome was the most frequent molecular diagnosis (10/45, 22.2%), comprising nine patients with USH2A-associated Usher syndrome type 2 and one patient with MYO7A-associated Usher syndrome type 1B, followed by Stickler syndrome (8/45, 17.8%), oculocutaneous albinism (3/45, 6.7%), and Alström syndrome (2/45, 4.4%). Autosomal recessive disorders represented the predominant inheritance pattern (68.9%). Conclusions: Our findings support ophthalmology-focused multigene panels as an effective first-line diagnostic strategy for patients with suspected genetic eye diseases. Early molecular testing may shorten the diagnostic odyssey, optimize resource utilization, facilitate precision diagnosis and genetic counseling, and guide future targeted deep phenotypic evaluation, prognosis, and eligibility for emerging gene-specific therapies. Full article

Background: People with disabilities may face medication-safety challenges when functional limitations interfere with medication handling, administration, communication, self-management, or continuity of treatment. This study examined pharmacists’ experiences and perceptions of safe medication use among people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia and identified adaptations that may support safer, more independent medication management. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using a self-administered electronic survey that included structured items on participant characteristics and 15 open-ended questions. Eighteen pharmacists from different practice settings participated, and 17 provided substantive qualitative responses for analysis. Data were analyzed using a codebook thematic analysis approach within a qualitative descriptive orientation, informed by Braun and Clarke’s phases of thematic analysis. Two researchers initially coded the responses independently and subsequently compared and refined the coding framework through discussion. Results: Four major themes were identified: (1) functional limitations shape perceived medication-use challenges; (2) pharmacists perceive safety concerns at multiple points in medication use; (3) proposed function-adapted strategies for medication management; and (4) organizational conditions perceived to support function-adapted care. Participants reported challenges with medication packaging, dosage forms, administration devices, medication information, self-management, caregiver dependence, refills, and treatment continuity. They also proposed strategies, including functional assessment, personalized counseling, caregiver education, adapted packaging and dosage forms, medication review, assistive tools, alternative access services, and standardized institutional procedures. Conclusions: Pharmacists identified several ways disability-related functional limitations could complicate medication use and proposed potential adaptations at the patient, pharmacist, and organizational levels. These strategies should be viewed as hypotheses and considerations for practice rather than proven medication-safety interventions. Further research that incorporates patient and caregiver perspectives and directly measures medication-use outcomes is needed. Full article

Background/Objectives: Mesh-related complications after surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) remain a clinical challenge, and surgical revision is often required. However, its impact on functional outcomes and continence status is incompletely defined. This study aimed to evaluate voiding and continence outcomes after surgical revision of vaginal synthetic mesh. Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included 55 consecutive women undergoing surgical revision of synthetic mesh for symptomatic complications after SUI or POP procedures between March 2021 and April 2025. Preoperative evaluation included clinical assessment, uroflowmetry, and selective imaging or urodynamic studies. Surgical management included mesh section, partial removal, or total removal via vaginal, abdominal, or combined approaches. The primary outcome was change in Qmax and post-void residual (PVR). Secondary outcomes included symptom resolution, changes in urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) and SUI, and postoperative complications. Results: Obstructive voiding dysfunction was the leading indication for revision (47.3%). Median Qmax increased from 13.0 to 18.0 mL/s (p = 0.0013), and median PVR decreased from 55.0 to 5.0 mL (p < 0.001). UUI improved from 56.4% to 34.5% (p = 0.017, McNemar’s exact test). Conversely, SUI increased from 20.0% to 56.4% (p < 0.001), although only 16 patients (29.1%) had clinically significant postoperative SUI, of whom 7 underwent a secondary anti-incontinence procedure. Intraoperative complications were infrequent (5.5%), while postoperative urinary tract infections occurred in 16.4%. Conclusions: Mesh revision surgery improves voiding function and reduces storage symptoms in selected patients but carries a substantial risk of recurrent or de novo SUI, underscoring the need for careful patient selection and counseling, with an acceptable safety profile in experienced centers. Full article

Background/Objectives: Motivational interviewing (MI) is an established approach to addressing vaccine hesitancy, yet immediate changes following dedicated training for family physicians remain insufficiently documented in Romania. This study evaluated pre–post changes in physicians’ MI knowledge, self-reported communication behaviour, and self-perceived ability to counsel patients about vaccination, together with patient-level change following consultations delivered by trained physicians. Methods: This uncontrolled pre–post study used a voluntary, self-selected non-probability sample of 28 family physicians recruited through announcements distributed via county family medicine associations; participants completed paired assessments immediately before and after structured MI-based training. The three main physician-level outcomes were MI knowledge (MISI), corrected self-reported MI communication behaviour (MIBI), and self-perceived MI ability (SPMI). The linked component comprised 151 patients nested within 15 physicians. Patient changes were averaged within physician, and the physician-level mean patient composite change was used as the principal outcome of this component. Paired physician changes and physician-aggregated patient change were assessed using Wilcoxon tests, rank-biserial effect sizes, and bootstrap 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with Holm adjustment across the three physician outcomes. Results: Mean MISI increased by 39.80 percentage points (95% CI: 29.59–50.51), though the limited internal consistency of this seven-item composite requires item-level interpretation, and corrected MIBI by 0.44 points (95% CI: 0.20–0.68; r_rb = 0.75) and SPMI by 1.22 points (95% CI: 0.89–1.61; r_rb = 0.99); all Holm-adjusted p-values were <0.001. Across the 15 linked physicians, the mean patient composite change was 0.55 points (95% CI: 0.38–0.75; r_rb = 1.00; p < 0.001). No consistent association was observed between physician-level competency changes and mean patient change. Conclusions: Immediate post-training physician scores and post-consultation patient composite scores were higher. Controlled studies incorporating observed consultations and follow-up are required before causal or sustained effects can be inferred. Full article

Background: Nutrition counselling during the perinatal period is an important component of midwifery care and health promotion. Existing competency frameworks recognize nutrition-related education and counselling as part of midwifery practice, while several studies have assessed midwives’ nutrition knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and self-reported practices. However, it remains unclear to what extent existing assessment approaches capture the quality of nutrition counselling as experienced by women receiving midwife-led care. Objective: This scoping review aimed to map existing tools, questionnaires, competency frameworks, checklists, and other assessment approaches related to nutrition counselling, nutrition education, and nutrition-related competencies in midwifery and perinatal care; to compare the measurement domains represented across these approaches; and to identify remaining measurement gaps. Methods: The review was conducted according to established scoping review methodology and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, and Embase were searched from database inception to 1 July 2026 using two complementary search strategies targeting both nutrition-related assessment approaches and patient-experience/counselling-quality concepts. Eligible sources included studies or documents describing instruments, competency frameworks, questionnaires, screening tools, checklists, or other assessment approaches related to nutrition counselling within midwifery or perinatal care. Data were charted according to assessment type, target population, intended purpose, domains assessed, development methodology, validation evidence, and relevance to midwife-led nutrition counselling, and were synthesized descriptively and conceptually across assessment domains. Results: The database searches identified 186 records, of which 42 duplicates were removed, leaving 144 records for title and abstract screening. Thirty-four reports underwent full-text assessment, of which 25 were excluded, resulting in nine included reports. These reports represented a smaller number of distinct assessment tools, frameworks, and approaches because three reports evaluated or applied the same underlying instrument, the FIGO Nutrition Checklist. The included evidence comprised nutritional-risk screening, provider-focused knowledge-, attitude-, and practice-based assessment, observational approaches to counselling delivery, and a professional competency framework. Cross-cutting synthesis identified four conceptually distinct measurement levels: nutritional risk and dietary status, professional knowledge and competence, counselling delivery and implementation, and women’s experience of nutrition counselling. No eligible nutrition-specific patient-reported experience measure was identified, leaving the intersection between nutrition-specific content and woman-reported counselling experience insufficiently represented. Conclusions: Existing approaches provide fragmented assessment of nutrition-related care and do not comprehensively capture women’s experiences of midwife-led nutrition counselling. Further research should determine whether existing measures can be adapted or combined or whether a new patient-reported experience measure (PREM) is warranted. Full article

Background: Managing urinary calculi during a multiple gestation pregnancy presents significant clinical challenges, which require rigorous care to prevent adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. This report aims to offer clinical nursing references by summarizing the management of a complex pregnancy complicated by ureteral calculi and thyrotoxicosis. Case Presentation: A patient with a twin gestation complicated by a ureteral calculus and thyrotoxicosis was managed with nurse-led continuous care within a physician-directed multidisciplinary framework. During hospitalization, interdisciplinary medical and nursing teams continuously monitored maternal and fetal vital signs to establish individualized surgical and nursing regimens. Post-discharge integrated care was delivered via online and offline follow-up, incorporating collaborative assessments from the obstetrics, endocrinology, and psychology departments, alongside multidimensional physical care and targeted psychological counseling. Conclusions: With standardized treatment and continuous nursing intervention, the patient delivered healthy boy-girl twins by caesarean section at 37 weeks of gestation, followed by successful ureteroscopic lithotripsy and uncomplicated hospital discharge. This case illustrates a feasible approach to nurse-led continuous care within a physician-directed multidisciplinary framework for complex, high-risk pregnancies. As this is a single case, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and require further validation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Prenatal testing strategies for suspected monogenic disorders have changed considerably over the past decades, alongside evolving referral indications and increasing availability of genomic technologies. Longitudinal, practice-based data describing these changes within routine clinical care remain limited, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. We describe changes in referral indications, testing strategies, and molecular findings over 22 years in a single-center retrospective descriptive case series from Western Romania. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 52 pregnancies investigated for suspected monogenic disorders between 2004 and 2026. Forty pregnancies were evaluated through a diagnostic pathway, while a separate group of 12 pregnancies underwent cell-free DNA (cfDNA)-based monogenic screening; these were analyzed as distinct clinical pathways. For the diagnostic pathway, clinical indications, testing strategies, and molecular findings were analyzed across three retrospectively defined study periods (2004–2013, 2014–2019, and 2020–2026). Results: Within the diagnostic pathway, referral patterns shifted from predominantly family-history-based testing (55.6% of cases in 2004–2013) toward indications arising from positive parental carrier screening and fetal ultrasound abnormalities in later study periods. Testing strategies expanded from predominantly targeted single-gene testing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) to include gene panels and whole-exome sequencing (WES). Among 34 pregnancies with fetal molecular evaluation, 7 (20.6%) had a confirmed disease-causing finding, 9 (26.5%) had carrier-only outcomes, 15 (44.1%) were classified as unaffected, and 3 (8.8%) had non-classic molecular findings. Incidental or additional molecular findings beyond the primary testing indication were identified in 6 of 34 pregnancies with fetal molecular evaluation (17.6%) and required case-specific interpretation and genetic counseling. The 12 cfDNA-based monogenic screening pregnancies constituted a separate, non-diagnostic screening pathway and were analyzed independently from the diagnostic pathway. Conclusions: Over 22 years, referral indications for suspected monogenic disorders broadened alongside an expansion of prenatal testing strategies from predominantly targeted familial testing to a wider range of genomic approaches. These findings describe temporal changes within a single-center clinical practice and should not be interpreted as evidence that changes in testing strategy improved diagnostic performance or pregnancy outcomes. Invasive diagnostic testing and cfDNA-based monogenic screening represent distinct clinical pathways and should be interpreted separately. Full article

University-wide suicide risk screening is essential but difficult to implement at scale because professional counselling resources are limited and conventional tools often show low predictive value in low-prevalence populations. To support transparent and clinically interpretable campus mental health workflows, this study introduces and validates the Composite Key Conditions (CKC) method, an interpretable, computationally efficient screening approach for identifying students who match counsellor-defined suicide risk categories. A multi-phase, multi-site study involving 8819 students from two universities in the development and cross-site validation phases was conducted, followed by independent external validation at a third university. In the initial wave, students completed self-report questionnaires in November 2023, after which approximately 20% were selected and invited for centralized counsellor evaluation; the assessments were conducted in December 2023. From January to June 2024, 320 students who subsequently attended psychological services (103 at University A and 217 at University B) were assessed through the cohort pathway. CKC was further evaluated in October 2025 using an independent sample of 22,205 students from a third university. The CKC method, developed from the initial phase, correctly classified all students assigned to the suicide risk category during centralized assessment (sensitivity = 1.000, specificity = 0.901). When applied across both centralized and cohort assessments (yielding 89 counsellor-defined suicide risk cases), the method maintained high performance (sensitivity = 0.888, specificity = 0.904, PPV = 0.086). In the independent validation sample, the method correctly classified 17 of the 22 students identified by the internal reporting system as meeting its high-risk criteria, with a specificity of 0.923. CKC provides an interpretable and efficient approach to suicide risk screening that is suitable for large-scale implementation in university settings. By producing transparent, auditable risk rules rather than opaque predictions, CKC is positioned to complement (not replace) counsellor judgement and to support timely triage and referral within campus mental health service systems. Full article

Background: Rare diseases collectively affect millions of children worldwide and are a major cause of pediatric morbidity, mortality, and lifelong disability. Although most have a genetic basis, obtaining a timely molecular diagnosis remains challenging because of substantial clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Advances in genomic medicine are transforming rare disease diagnosis and establishing genomics as the center of precision medicine. Methods: This review summarizes current evidence on genomic approaches for pediatric rare diseases, including established and emerging sequencing technologies, their clinical applications, implementation challenges, and future directions. Results: Whole-genome sequencing is increasingly being adopted as a first-line genomic test for suspected rare genetic disorders, particularly when the phenotype is heterogeneous or does not point to a specific diagnosis. Conventional cytogenetic and targeted molecular techniques remain important complementary approaches for selected phenotypes, variant classes, and orthogonal confirmation. Gene panels are effective for well-defined phenotypes, whereas whole-exome sequencing remains a high-yield approach for genetically heterogeneous disorders, particularly when whole-genome sequencing is not available or is not clinically indicated. Long-read whole-genome sequencing expands diagnostic capacity by detecting structural variants, repeat expansions, complex rearrangements, and non-coding pathogenic variants that frequently escape short-read technologies. Emerging multi-omics approaches further improve variant interpretation and help resolve previously unsolved cases. Beyond diagnosis, molecular findings guide personalized clinical management, genetic counselling, reproductive planning, and access to targeted therapies and genotype-driven clinical trials. However, broad implementation is constrained by challenges in variant interpretation, ethical and legal considerations, data governance, workforce capacity, cost, and inequitable access to genomic services. Artificial intelligence, international data-sharing initiatives, and coordinated healthcare networks are helping overcome these barriers and improve diagnostic equity. Conclusions: Whole-genome sequencing is increasingly emerging as a first-line genomic strategy for pediatric rare diseases, while complementary technologies, expert phenotyping, and iterative data interpretation remain essential for comprehensive and accurate diagnosis and equitable access to genomic medicine. Full article

Therapeutic options for advanced prostate cancer have expanded in recent years, incorporating multiple-system treatment approaches with differing mechanisms of action. However, comparative real-world safety data following drug approval remain limited. As such, the aim of this study is to characterize adverse events and disproportionate safety signals among advanced prostate cancer therapies using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). A retrospective pharmacovigilance study of FAERS reports evaluated enzalutamide, darolutamide, apalutamide, abiraterone acetate, relugolix, niraparib/abiraterone, talazoparib, rucaparib, cabazitaxel, sipuleucel-T, and lutetium-177 vipivotide. Adverse events were categorized by System Organ Class and Preferred Terms. Reporting odds ratios (RORs) with 95% confidence intervals identified safety signals. Among 172,440 reports, most involved patients aged 65–85 years. Cabazitaxel had the highest proportion of serious reports (86.6%) and deaths (22%), whereas relugolix had the lowest (23.3% and 4.8%). Nervous system disorders predominated with enzalutamide and darolutamide, gastrointestinal disorders with abiraterone, rucaparib, and niraparib/abiraterone, and hematologic toxicities with cabazitaxel, talazoparib, and lutetium-177 vipivotide. Significant safety signals were identified for abiraterone and cabazitaxel, but not other therapies. The absence of a detected signal should not be interpreted as evidence of safety or equivalence, as reporting volume, detection bias, and statistical power varied across therapies. Overall, the therapies demonstrated distinct toxicity profiles, which may inform treatment selection, toxicity monitoring, and patient counseling. Full article

Background: Congenital abdominal wall defects (CAWDs), primarily gastroschisis and omphalocele, result from disturbances in early embryonic folding and midgut development and are routinely detected during prenatal ultrasound screening. Despite advances in prenatal imaging, considerable heterogeneity in clinical presentation, severity, and outcomes necessitates structured risk stratification to optimize prenatal and perinatal management. Objectives: We aimed to present a series of prenatally diagnosed congenital abdominal wall defects and integrate current evidence into a clinically applicable, risk-adapted framework for prenatal assessment and perinatal management. Materials and Methods: Three pathological cases of CAWDs diagnosed between 2025 and 2026 were retrospectively analyzed. Two additional first-trimester ultrasound examinations demonstrating physiological midgut herniation were included as illustrative examples of an important differential diagnosis during early pregnancy. Prenatal assessment included systematic evaluation of bowel dilatation, bowel wall thickness, liver herniation, and associated structural anomalies. Established risk stratification systems—including the distinction between simple and complex gastroschisis and the classification of omphalocele according to defect size and associated anomalies—were applied. A narrative review of the literature was performed to contextualize the clinical findings and support the development of a practical ultrasound-based diagnostic and management algorithm. Results: The pathological cases illustrated the broad clinical spectrum of CAWDs, ranging from isolated omphalocele to lethal body stalk anomaly, while the illustrative examples emphasized the importance of distinguishing physiological midgut herniation from pathological abdominal wall defects during the first trimester. Prenatal risk stratification based on ultrasound findings may inform surveillance strategies, delivery planning, and parental counseling. In particular, associated anomalies and liver herniation in omphalocele, as well as progressive bowel abnormalities in gastroschisis, were identified as key determinants of prognosis and clinical management. Based on the literature review and the illustrative institutional cases, an educational ultrasound-based diagnostic and management framework was proposed to summarize the current evidence and support a structured diagnostic approach. Conclusions: Congenital abdominal wall defects should be considered a spectrum of disorders with varying embryological origins, clinical manifestations, and prognostic implications. A standardized prenatal assessment combined with risk-adapted management can improve prognostic accuracy, optimize perinatal planning, and support informed parental counseling. Implementation of structured diagnostic frameworks may enhance clinical decision making and improve outcomes in affected pregnancies. Full article