Omphalitis with Umbilical Abscess in an Adult with a Urachal Remnant

Abstract

Omphalitis is an inflammation of the umbilicus and is seldom diagnosed in adults. It is even rarer when it results from an infection of the urachus, an embryological remnant that connects the umbilicus to the dome of the bladder. Patients with omphalitis present with erythema, edema, tenderness, and purulent discharge form the umbilical stump. Workup includes ultrasonography and CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis. Management consists of antibiotics and incision and drainage of the umbilical abscess, followed by surgical resection of the urachal remnant. In this article, we report a case of omphalitis complicated by umbilical abscess in a 20-year-old female with a urachal remnant.

A Febrile Infant With Abdominal Erythema and Irritability

“…[5][6][7]10 In these cases, the differential should be broadened, and internal sources that then infect the umbilical stump and surrounding tissues need to be considered, including infected remnants of prenatal structures associated with the umbilicus. 10,11 As such, advanced imaging is typically required to identify the source, and surgical management is often warranted. 5,7 A perforated or ruptured Meckel's diverticulum is one of these rare causes of nonneonatal omphalitis.…”