Discharging umbilicus

OBJECTIVE: Umbilical discharge is a symptom of varied pathology. Treatment policies of this clinical problem vary among different institutions. Our experience in the management of 44 patients with umbilical discharge is presented.

METHODS: This is a retrospective study of the 44 patients treated at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over a period of 19 years from 1982 to 2001.

RESULTS: With the exception of one patient, all patients were treated in the outpatient clinic. General anesthesia was not employed but instead local anesthesia was used in some cases. One patient required admission for surgical excision, diagnosed to have an ulcerating dermoid cyst. Most patients had hair tuft in the infected umbilicus (pilonidal sinus of umbilicus), 2 patients had concrete like material inside the infected umbilicus.

CONCLUSION: We propose a conservative approach to treat this problem and preserve surgical excision only for selected cases.