How is urachal remnant diagnosed?

The most common test used to diagnosis urachal anomalies is an ultrasound of the abdomen, bladder and pelvis.

How do you know if you have an urachal cyst?

The presence of a urachal cyst is confirmed through imaging techniques like ultrasounds, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) scans. These scans allow healthcare providers to determine whether a cyst is present and problematic.

Can urachal cyst cause pain?

Urachal cysts can develop at any age, but typically affect older children and adults. Urachal cysts are often not associated with any signs or symptoms unless there are complications such as infection. In these cases, symptoms may include abdominal pain, fever, pain with urination and/or hematuria.

What is malformation of urachus?

What are urachal abnormalities? Developing fetuses have a canal between the belly button and the bladder known as the urachus. This typically closes before birth. Sometimes, however, that doesn’t happen, and a baby will be born with the canal still in place.

How common is urachal remnant?

A Word From Verywell. A urachal remnant is a rare congenital disorder (a condition that’s present at birth) which may go undiagnosed unless there are symptoms. Symptoms can be nonspecific such as abdominal pain or urinary tract infection.

How is urachal remnant treated?

The treatment of urachal cysts involves primary excision of the cyst. However, the traditional treatment of an infected urachal cyst is composed of a two-stage approach, i.e., an incision and then drainage of the infected cyst followed by secondary excision.

Is urachus present in adults?

Sometimes, there are tissue remnants of the urachus in adults (about 1/3 of adults have urachal tissue remnants). This usually does not cause any problems. However, sometimes these remnants can potentially become cancerous (malignant).

Where is a urachal cyst located?

An uncomplicated urachal cyst appears as a collection of simple fluid localized in the midline of the anterior abdominal wall, between the umbilicus and the pubis and often contiguous with the bladder dome.

Do adults have urachus?

This ligament runs from the belly button to the top of the bladder and is called the median umbilical ligament. Sometimes, there are tissue remnants of the urachus in adults (about 1/3 of adults have urachal tissue remnants).

Do urachal remnants need to be removed?

In many cases, the medical team may recommend surgery to remove the remnant because of the possibility of complications and because it is associated with a rare, but aggressive form of cancer. In most cases the anomaly can be removed and recovery is uneventful.

How is Urachal sinus treated?

Urachal cyst treatment depends on the presence of complications or associated conditions. Noninfected urachal sinus are usually removed in a single-step radical excision of the remnant which removes the entire lesion with or without a bladder cuff via open or laparoscopic surgical approach [9].

Is urachal cyst common?

It arises from the incomplete obliteration of urachus, which is a primitive structure that connects the umbilical cord to the fetal bladder [1]. The incidence of urachal cyst is one in 5,000 live births [2].