Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsComplicationsDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Complications
Diagnosis
Treatment
Aurachalcyst is a sac of tissue and fluid between the bladder and the belly button (umbilicus). The cyst forms in the remnants of the urachus, a structure normally present in a fetus that usually closes up before birth. The closure doesn’t occur in some infants, causing a urachal cyst or sinus to form.
People can live comfortably with a urachal cyst without ever realizing they have one, as it usually doesn’t cause any problems. However, drainage from the cyst can sometimes cause discomfort or other symptoms. The cyst can also get infected, a serious condition that needs immediate medical treatment.
Verywell / Laura Porter
In the first trimester of pregnancy, the urachus is a channel between the fetus’s bladder andumbilical cordthat allows urine to drain from the fetus.
By the third trimester, the urachal channel seals off and becomes the medial umbilical ligament, a cord that extends from the pelvis to the top of the bladder. If the urachus remains open, its remnants can form a urachal cyst.
Urachal abnormalities are uncommon. They are usually discovered incidentally during imaging scans and autopsies. They’re twice as likely to be found in men than women.
The exact cause of urachal abnormalities is unknown, but it’s likely that many factors contribute to their development.
Urachal cysts are acongenital condition(present at birth), so there could be a genetic component. Some research has also suggested the cysts arise when the urachal area does not fully develop.
Several types of urachal abnormalities can cause symptoms after birth, including:
Any type of urachal defect can become infected. Urachal cyst infections are most commonly seen in children between the ages of 2 and 4 years old.
Having a urachal cyst does not mean you will have symptoms. Urachal cysts or abscesses usually only cause symptoms if they become infected.
Symptoms of an infected urachal cyst include:
A severe urachal cyst infection can cause more widespread symptoms, such as abdominal redness and swelling, extreme fatigue, vomiting, and intense abdominal pain.
Drainage from a urachal cyst causes a constantly moist belly button, with urine coming from the navel. If not frequently cleaned, skin reddening and afoul odormay develop.
If an infected urachal cyst is not caught early, the infected cyst can pierce the bladder orperitonealcavity, the space in the abdomen that contains the intestines, stomach, and liver.
Infected material from the cyst can then migrate into the bladder or peritoneal cavity. This can lead to a life-threatening condition calledperitonitis, in which the lining of the abdomen and abdominal organs, known as the peritoneum, becomes infected and inflamed.
In addition to infection, there is also a small chance that a urachal cyst can become malignant (cancerous), resulting in urachal cancer. Urachal cancer is very rare form of bladder cancer, but it is highly aggressive.
The presence of a urachal cyst is confirmed through imaging techniques likeultrasounds,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), andcomputed tomography(CT) scans. These scans allow healthcare providers to determine whether a cyst is present and problematic.
If your healthcare provider confirms the presence of a urachal cyst and you have symptoms of an infection, you will need further medical care. Your healthcare provider will ask you about your medical history, perform a physical exam, and may order lab tests before prescribing treatment.
If you have a urachal cyst that isn’t causing symptoms, you don’t have to take any specific action. Treatment would only be urgent if the cyst becomes infected.
Sometimes, an infected urachal cyst needs to be removed surgically. Surgery may be recommended if the cyst causes excessive draining, irritation, discomfort, and/or repeated infection.
Removing the urachal cyst prevents future infections and reduces the risk of urachal cancer.
Similarly, a draining urachal sinus can be removed and closed off (excised) through a small incision of the belly button or withlaparoscopicsurgery.
Urachal abnormalities have been observed to resolve spontaneously without treatment in certain cases.Since this outcome is not as likely and urachal cysts can cause problems, you should discuss the best course of treatment for your situation with your healthcare provider.
Summary
A urachal cyst forms between the belly button and bladder when the fetal urachus fails to seal before birth. Many people go their entire lives without knowing they have a urachal cyst since the abnormalities don’t usually cause symptoms.
Occasionally, urachal cysts can lead to life-threatening complications, like a bacterial infection, which needs to be treated with antibiotics. Much more rarely, a urachal cyst can lead to urachal cancer. Urachal cyst excision (surgical removal) reduces the risk of these complications.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kwok CM.Infected urachal cyst in an adult: A laparascopic approach.Case Rep Gastroenterol. 2016;10(1):269–274. doi:10.1159/000446642Elkbuli A, Kinslow K, Ehrhardt J, et al.Surgical management for an infected urachal cyst in an adult: Case report and literature review.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2019 Mar;57(1):130–133. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2019.03.041Lucerna A, Lee J, Espinosa J, Hertz R, Scali V.An adult with a remnant urachus anomaly diagnosed in the emergency department.Case Reports in Emergency Medicine. 2018;2018:1-3. doi:10.1155/2018/6051871Wilson AL, Gandhi J, Seyam O, et al.Urachal anomalies: A review of pathological conditions, diagnosis, and management.Translational Research in Anatomy. 2019;16:100041. doi:10.1016/j.tria.2019.100041University of California, San Francisco Medical Center - Department Of Urology.Urachal abnormalities.Shan T, Lung-Huang L, Shih-Pin H.An infected urachal cyst presenting as acute abdominal pain in a child.Medicine. 2020 Jan;99(5):e18884. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000018884Jayakumar S, Darlington D.Acute presentation of urachal cyst: A case report.Cureus. 2020 May;12(5):e8220. doi:10.7759/cureus.8220Danial AK, Tarabishi AS, Aldakhil A, et al.Acute abdomen due to an infected urachal cyst in a 5-year-old female: case report.J Surg Case Rep. 2019 May;2019(5):1-4. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjz156Loizza D, Pandolfo S, Crocerossa F, et al.Current management of urachal carcinoma: An evidence-based guide for clinical practice.Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022 May;39(1):1-6. doi:10.1016/j.euros.2022.02.009Rhudd A, Moghul M, Nair G, McDonald J.Malignant transformation of a urachal cyst—a case report and literature review. 2018;2018(3). doi:10.1093/jscr/rjy056Zenitani M, Nose S, Oue T.Prevalence of urachal remnants in children according to age and their anatomic variants.Pediatr Surg Int. 2022;38(10):1495-1500. doi:10.1007/s00383-022-05183-2Additional ReadingBaradaran N, Stec A, Gearhart J.Urachal anomalies and congenital diverticulum. Cancer Therapy Advisor.Genetic And Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD).Urachal cyst. National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Medicine.Hassan S, Koshy J, Sidlow R, Leader H, Horowitz M.To excise or not to excise infected urachal cysts: A case report and review of the literature.Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports. 2017;22:35-38. doi:10.1016/j.epsc.2017.05.003Parada Villavicencio C, Adam SZ, Nikolaidis P, Yaghmai V, Miller FH.Imaging of the urachus: anomalies, complications, and mimics.RadioGraphics. 2016;36(7):2049-2063. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160062
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kwok CM.Infected urachal cyst in an adult: A laparascopic approach.Case Rep Gastroenterol. 2016;10(1):269–274. doi:10.1159/000446642Elkbuli A, Kinslow K, Ehrhardt J, et al.Surgical management for an infected urachal cyst in an adult: Case report and literature review.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2019 Mar;57(1):130–133. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2019.03.041Lucerna A, Lee J, Espinosa J, Hertz R, Scali V.An adult with a remnant urachus anomaly diagnosed in the emergency department.Case Reports in Emergency Medicine. 2018;2018:1-3. doi:10.1155/2018/6051871Wilson AL, Gandhi J, Seyam O, et al.Urachal anomalies: A review of pathological conditions, diagnosis, and management.Translational Research in Anatomy. 2019;16:100041. doi:10.1016/j.tria.2019.100041University of California, San Francisco Medical Center - Department Of Urology.Urachal abnormalities.Shan T, Lung-Huang L, Shih-Pin H.An infected urachal cyst presenting as acute abdominal pain in a child.Medicine. 2020 Jan;99(5):e18884. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000018884Jayakumar S, Darlington D.Acute presentation of urachal cyst: A case report.Cureus. 2020 May;12(5):e8220. doi:10.7759/cureus.8220Danial AK, Tarabishi AS, Aldakhil A, et al.Acute abdomen due to an infected urachal cyst in a 5-year-old female: case report.J Surg Case Rep. 2019 May;2019(5):1-4. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjz156Loizza D, Pandolfo S, Crocerossa F, et al.Current management of urachal carcinoma: An evidence-based guide for clinical practice.Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022 May;39(1):1-6. doi:10.1016/j.euros.2022.02.009Rhudd A, Moghul M, Nair G, McDonald J.Malignant transformation of a urachal cyst—a case report and literature review. 2018;2018(3). doi:10.1093/jscr/rjy056Zenitani M, Nose S, Oue T.Prevalence of urachal remnants in children according to age and their anatomic variants.Pediatr Surg Int. 2022;38(10):1495-1500. doi:10.1007/s00383-022-05183-2Additional ReadingBaradaran N, Stec A, Gearhart J.Urachal anomalies and congenital diverticulum. Cancer Therapy Advisor.Genetic And Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD).Urachal cyst. National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Medicine.Hassan S, Koshy J, Sidlow R, Leader H, Horowitz M.To excise or not to excise infected urachal cysts: A case report and review of the literature.Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports. 2017;22:35-38. doi:10.1016/j.epsc.2017.05.003Parada Villavicencio C, Adam SZ, Nikolaidis P, Yaghmai V, Miller FH.Imaging of the urachus: anomalies, complications, and mimics.RadioGraphics. 2016;36(7):2049-2063. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160062
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kwok CM.Infected urachal cyst in an adult: A laparascopic approach.Case Rep Gastroenterol. 2016;10(1):269–274. doi:10.1159/000446642Elkbuli A, Kinslow K, Ehrhardt J, et al.Surgical management for an infected urachal cyst in an adult: Case report and literature review.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2019 Mar;57(1):130–133. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2019.03.041Lucerna A, Lee J, Espinosa J, Hertz R, Scali V.An adult with a remnant urachus anomaly diagnosed in the emergency department.Case Reports in Emergency Medicine. 2018;2018:1-3. doi:10.1155/2018/6051871Wilson AL, Gandhi J, Seyam O, et al.Urachal anomalies: A review of pathological conditions, diagnosis, and management.Translational Research in Anatomy. 2019;16:100041. doi:10.1016/j.tria.2019.100041University of California, San Francisco Medical Center - Department Of Urology.Urachal abnormalities.Shan T, Lung-Huang L, Shih-Pin H.An infected urachal cyst presenting as acute abdominal pain in a child.Medicine. 2020 Jan;99(5):e18884. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000018884Jayakumar S, Darlington D.Acute presentation of urachal cyst: A case report.Cureus. 2020 May;12(5):e8220. doi:10.7759/cureus.8220Danial AK, Tarabishi AS, Aldakhil A, et al.Acute abdomen due to an infected urachal cyst in a 5-year-old female: case report.J Surg Case Rep. 2019 May;2019(5):1-4. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjz156Loizza D, Pandolfo S, Crocerossa F, et al.Current management of urachal carcinoma: An evidence-based guide for clinical practice.Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022 May;39(1):1-6. doi:10.1016/j.euros.2022.02.009Rhudd A, Moghul M, Nair G, McDonald J.Malignant transformation of a urachal cyst—a case report and literature review. 2018;2018(3). doi:10.1093/jscr/rjy056Zenitani M, Nose S, Oue T.Prevalence of urachal remnants in children according to age and their anatomic variants.Pediatr Surg Int. 2022;38(10):1495-1500. doi:10.1007/s00383-022-05183-2
Kwok CM.Infected urachal cyst in an adult: A laparascopic approach.Case Rep Gastroenterol. 2016;10(1):269–274. doi:10.1159/000446642
Elkbuli A, Kinslow K, Ehrhardt J, et al.Surgical management for an infected urachal cyst in an adult: Case report and literature review.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2019 Mar;57(1):130–133. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2019.03.041
Lucerna A, Lee J, Espinosa J, Hertz R, Scali V.An adult with a remnant urachus anomaly diagnosed in the emergency department.Case Reports in Emergency Medicine. 2018;2018:1-3. doi:10.1155/2018/6051871
Wilson AL, Gandhi J, Seyam O, et al.Urachal anomalies: A review of pathological conditions, diagnosis, and management.Translational Research in Anatomy. 2019;16:100041. doi:10.1016/j.tria.2019.100041
University of California, San Francisco Medical Center - Department Of Urology.Urachal abnormalities.
Shan T, Lung-Huang L, Shih-Pin H.An infected urachal cyst presenting as acute abdominal pain in a child.Medicine. 2020 Jan;99(5):e18884. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000018884
Jayakumar S, Darlington D.Acute presentation of urachal cyst: A case report.Cureus. 2020 May;12(5):e8220. doi:10.7759/cureus.8220
Danial AK, Tarabishi AS, Aldakhil A, et al.Acute abdomen due to an infected urachal cyst in a 5-year-old female: case report.J Surg Case Rep. 2019 May;2019(5):1-4. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjz156
Loizza D, Pandolfo S, Crocerossa F, et al.Current management of urachal carcinoma: An evidence-based guide for clinical practice.Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022 May;39(1):1-6. doi:10.1016/j.euros.2022.02.009
Rhudd A, Moghul M, Nair G, McDonald J.Malignant transformation of a urachal cyst—a case report and literature review. 2018;2018(3). doi:10.1093/jscr/rjy056
Zenitani M, Nose S, Oue T.Prevalence of urachal remnants in children according to age and their anatomic variants.Pediatr Surg Int. 2022;38(10):1495-1500. doi:10.1007/s00383-022-05183-2
Baradaran N, Stec A, Gearhart J.Urachal anomalies and congenital diverticulum. Cancer Therapy Advisor.Genetic And Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD).Urachal cyst. National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Medicine.Hassan S, Koshy J, Sidlow R, Leader H, Horowitz M.To excise or not to excise infected urachal cysts: A case report and review of the literature.Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports. 2017;22:35-38. doi:10.1016/j.epsc.2017.05.003Parada Villavicencio C, Adam SZ, Nikolaidis P, Yaghmai V, Miller FH.Imaging of the urachus: anomalies, complications, and mimics.RadioGraphics. 2016;36(7):2049-2063. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160062
Baradaran N, Stec A, Gearhart J.Urachal anomalies and congenital diverticulum. Cancer Therapy Advisor.
Genetic And Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD).Urachal cyst. National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Medicine.
Hassan S, Koshy J, Sidlow R, Leader H, Horowitz M.To excise or not to excise infected urachal cysts: A case report and review of the literature.Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports. 2017;22:35-38. doi:10.1016/j.epsc.2017.05.003
Parada Villavicencio C, Adam SZ, Nikolaidis P, Yaghmai V, Miller FH.Imaging of the urachus: anomalies, complications, and mimics.RadioGraphics. 2016;36(7):2049-2063. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160062
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