Prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of a simple umbilical hernia

Umbilical hernia is one of the most common abnormalities seen in the first few months of life. The reported prevalence varies according to the age and race of the children examined. The defect appears to be significantly more common in African-American infants, with one study reporting a prevalence of 25% in black children compared with 3% in white neonates. The condition also is found more frequently in premature infants, occurring in 75% of those weighing less than 1500 g.2 Umbilical hernia consists of a protrusion of bowel and sometimes omentum though a defect in the linea alba. Rarely, bowel protrudes into the umbilical cord. Although some reports of the prenatal diagnosis of this complicated form of umbilical hernia have been published, the more common, benign form of umbilical hernia has not been described. We present a case in which a large bulge in a skin-covered fetal abdominal wall led to the prenatal diagnosis of a simple umbilical hernia.