In human

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...

, the median umbilical ligament is an unpaired midline ligamentous structure upon the lower inner surface of the anterior abdominal wall. It is covered by the median umbilical fold. The median umbilical ligament represents the remnant of the

fetal A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal develo ...

urachus. It extends from the apex of the

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine en ...

to the umbilicus, on the deep surface of the anterior abdominal wall. The medial umbilical ligament represents one of the five ligaments of the internal anterior abdominal wall inferior to the umbilicus; laterally on either side of it are one

medial umbilical ligament The medial umbilical ligament (or cord of umbilical artery, or obliterated umbilical artery) is a paired structure found in human anatomy. It is on the deep surface of the anterior abdominal wall In anatomy, the abdominal wall represents the bo ...

and finally one

lateral umbilical ligament The lateral umbilical fold overlies the inferior epigastric artery (a branch of the external iliac artery) and its accompanying veins. Unlike the median and medial umbilical folds, the contents of the lateral umbilical fold remain functional af ...

Development

The median umbilical ligament begins as the

allantois The allantois (plural ''allantoides'' or ''allantoises'') is a hollow sac-like structure filled with clear fluid that forms part of a developing amniote's conceptus (which consists of all embryonic and extraembryonic tissues). It helps the embryo ...

in the

embryonic Embryonic may refer to: *Of or relating to an embryo * ''Embryonic'' (album), a 2009 studio album by the Flaming Lips *''Embryonics ''Embryonics'' is a double-CD compilation of tracks by the Australian progressive metal band, Alchemist. It w ...

period. It then becomes the urachus in the

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal dev ...

. This later develops into the median umbilical ligament at birth. It is also formed from the

cloaca In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, ...

in utero ''In Utero'' is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana. It was released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albin ...

Function

The median umbilical ligament has no known function.

Clinical significance

The median umbilical ligament may be used as a landmark for surgeons who are performing

laparoscopy Laparoscopy () is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope aids diagnosis or therapeutic interventions with a few small cuts in the abdomen.Medlin ...

, such as laparoscopic

inguinal hernia An inguinal hernia is a hernia (protrusion) of abdominal-cavity contents through the inguinal canal. Symptoms, which may include pain or discomfort especially with or following coughing, exercise, or bowel movements, are absent in about a thir ...

repair. Other than this, it has no function in a born human and may be cut or removed with impunity. It contains the urachus, which is the obliterated form of the

. The allantois forms a communication between the

(terminal part of

hindgut The hindgut (or epigaster) is the posterior ( caudal) part of the alimentary canal. In mammals, it includes the distal one third of the transverse colon and the splenic flexure, the descending colon, sigmoid colon and up to the ano-rectal ju ...

) and the

amniotic sac The amniotic sac, also called the bag of waters or the membranes, is the sac in which the embryo and later fetus develops in amniotes. It is a thin but tough transparent pair of membranes that hold a developing embryo (and later fetus) until sh ...

during

embryonic development An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sperm ...

. If the urachus fails to close during fetal life, it can result in anatomical abnormalities such as a

urachal cyst A urachal cyst is a sinus remaining from the allantois during embryogenesis. It is a cyst which occurs in the remnants between the umbilicus and bladder. This is a type of cyst occurring in a persistent portion of the urachus, presenting as an e ...

urachal fistula A urachal fistula is a congenital disorder caused by the persistence of the allantois (later, urachus), the structure that connects an embryo's bladder to the yolk sac. Normally, the urachus closes off to become the median umbilical ligament; howev ...

urachal diverticulum A urachal diverticulum (also ''vesicourachal diverticulum'') is a congenital disorder caused by the partial persistence of the allantois. The allantois, which later becomes the urachus, connects an embryo's bladder to the yolk sac. Normally, the ur ...

urachal sinus Umbilical-urachal sinus is a congenital disorder of the urinary bladder caused by failure of obliteration of proximal or distal part of the allantois, and the presentation of this anomaly is more common in children and rarer in adults. It is thou ...

Society and culture

The median umbilical ligament was jokingly referred to as "Xander's ligament" in a

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

video published by Alexander R. Toftness (aka. ARTexplains on YouTube), and this name was subsequently used on

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...

for a short time. This term was later used in a paper published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The term has also appeared in a medical textbook of

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a sur ...

and

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ar ...

References

External links

* Median umbilical ligament ** - "The inguinal canal and derivation of the layers of the spermatic cord." ** - "The Male Pelvis: The Urinary Bladder" ** * Median umbilical fold ** - "Internal surface of the anterior abdominal wall." {{Authority control Abdomen Ligaments