Persistent cloaca

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/persistent-cloaca

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the associated conditions?Frequently occurs with VACTERL association and chromosomal abnormalities
2. What is the surgical intervention?Requires complex, multi-stage reconstructive surgery
3. Why do babies with persistent cloaca have problems with their poop and pee?Because the tubes are joined, the body can’t keep poop and pee separate, which can cause infections and make it hard to control bowel movements.
4. How do doctors fix a persistent cloaca?Doctors use surgery that happens in several steps. First they may make a temporary opening for poop, then later they separate the tubes and close the temporary opening.

Organogenesis: The process by which organs form during embryonic development.
VACTERL Association: A group of birth defects affecting multiple organ systems.
Posterior Sagittal Approach: A surgical technique providing wide exposure of the pelvic structures.