Omphalocele vs. Umbilical Hernia

Left picture: In this picture a toddler with a large omphalocele is shown which has never been operated and exhibits a spotaneous epithelization of the omphalocele sac. Right picture: The nearly 1-year-old infant has a rather large umbilical hernia.

In both patients a recognizable navel is missing; instead of a navel a mass is visible which is not identical in size and covered with a thin skin. Left picture: The mass is covered with a thin and irregularly structured skin; in the depth, the widely diastatic borders of the abdominal rectus muscles are palpable and the abdominal cavity is relatively small. Right picture: The mass which is smaller in comparison to the mass of the contralateral picture, is spherical and covered by a thin but homogeneous skin.