Anthropometric Determinations of Umbilical Position in Iraqi Adults

Abstract

Introduction Umbilicus is an important surface landmark on the anterior abdominal wall in addition to its aesthetic and psychological effect. Objectives The objective of the study is to determine the position of umbilicus in Iraqi adults to provide a guide for the neoumbilicus in abdominoplasty. Subjects and Methods This is an observational study performed on 100 volunteers with no abdominal wall abnormality. Measurements included weight, height, body mass index (BMI), distance from xiphoid to umbilicus, distance from xiphoid process to pubic symphysis, distance from xiphoid process to both anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), distance from pubic symphysis to umbilicus and from pubic symphysis to xiphisternum, distance of umbilicus to both ASIS, and distance of umbilicus to interspinous line and to inter-anterior hypochondrium line. Results The study included 100 volunteers, with 50% male and 50% female whose age ranges between 18 to 60 years. The results were a follows: distance from xiphoid process to umbilicus and distance from xiphoid process to pubic symphysis were 18.03 ± 3.25 cm and 32.21 ± 4.64 cm, respectively; distances from xiphoid process to right ASIS and left ASIS were 25.95 ± 5.72 cm and 25.84 ± 6.02 cm, respectively; distance from pubic symphysis to umbilicus was 17.66 ± 3.12 cm; distance of umbilicus to interspinous line was 9.25 ± 1.84 cm. The distance from umbilicus to inter anterior hypochondrium line was 9.905 ± 2.19 cm. Conclusion These measurements can determine the neoumbilicus position, reduce practical mistakes, and improve postsurgical outcomes.

Determination of the umbilicus position in Japanese children

“…The mean AU angle was 33.7° ± 5.1°, and a significant difference was noted between boys and girls. In some previous reports among adults, the umbilical position in women was higher than that in men 5–7 . Even in the present study, the AU angle was 32.7° ± 4.6° in boys and 34.6° ± 5.4° in girls.…”

“…In some previous reports among adults, the umbilical position in women was higher than that in men. [5][6][7] Even in the present study, the AU angle was 32.7° ± 4.6° in boys and 34.6° ± 5.4° in girls. When we defined the position of the umbilicus as an AU angle of 33° in boys and 35° in girls, the measurements in 115 children (95.8%) fell within the range of ±10° (Figure 4).…”

“…Although there have been many reports concerning the proper position and shape of the umbilicus, [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] the measurements were performed from the surface of the body in all cases. This is the first report in which the positional relationships between the umbilical fossa and other bone landmarks were measured accurately using 3D-reconstruction of CT images.…”

“…As a primary endpoint, the positional relationship between the umbilicus and other body landmarks (iliac crest, anterior superior iliac spine, xiphoid process and pubic symphysis) were examined. Although the position of the umbilicus of adults has been measured in centimeters from the iliac crest or anterior superior iliac spine in other reports, [4][5][6][7] we used an angle because children's physique dramatically changes. The angle between both iliac crests and the umbilicus (IU angle) and between both anterior superior iliac spines and the umbilicus (AU angle) were measured.…”

“…There have been many other reports concerning the normal position of the umbilicus among adults, children, and neonates. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] However, the measurement approach varies; in previous reports measurement approaches have been performed from the surface of the body.…”