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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
An umbilical hernia occurs when part of the intestine protrudes through an opening in the abdominal muscles. Umbilical hernias are most common in infants, but they can affect adults as well. In an infant, an umbilical hernia may be especially evident when the infant cries, causing the baby's bellybutton protrude. This is a classic sign of an umbilical hernia.
Most umbilical hernias close on their own by age 1, though some take longer to heal. To prevent complications, umbilical hernias that don't disappear by age 4 or those that appear during adulthood may need surgical repair.
Umbilical hernia is a common and typically harmless condition.
- Abdominal wall hernias. The Merck Manuals: Home Edition for Patients and Caregivers. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec09/ch132/ch132c.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Stoll BJ. The umbilicus. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/179974528-5/943858714/1608/337.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50107-9--cesec10_2769. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Brooks DC. Abdominal wall hernias. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 4, 2010.
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