Department of Dermatology, Government Medical College, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Address for correspondence: Dr. Sabha Mushtaq, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Government Medical College, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir - 180 001, India. E-mail:
Received October 23, 2019
Received in revised form March 16, 2020
Accepted April 20, 2020
A 24-year-old woman presented with 3 month history of an asymptomatic blackish growth in the umbilicus. There was no history of any trauma, itching, discharge, ulceration, or abdominal complains. The patient was otherwise healthy but was apprehensive that the lesion could be malignant. Examination revealed a round, blackish, non-tender mass protruding out of the umbilicus [Figure 1]. While holding the mass with a forcep to examine its base, gentle traction led to the removal of the entire mass. It measured around 1.5 × 1.5 × 0.5 cm with a black top and greyish under surface which revealed multiple horny projections on close examination [Figure 2]. Diagnosis of omphalolith was made and patient was counseled about the benign nature of the condition. The predisposing factor for omphalolith formation in our case was the retracted and deep umbilicus.
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Figure 1: A dry looking blackish mass protruding from the umbilicus
Figure 2: Omphalolith after removal: Grayish undersurface with horny projections
Omphalolith also known as umbilical calculus usually develops when patients fail to clean a deep umbilical cleft causing keratin and sebum to accumulate into a stone-like concretion.[1] It is usually asymptomatic but patients may complain of pain, umbilical discharge, and abscess formation due to secondary infection. Awareness about this uncommon entity and its timely recognition can save the patient from undue stress, imaging studies, and procedures.[23]
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REFERENCES
1. Mihara K. Omphalolith: An umbilical concretion to recognize J Gen Intern Med. 2016;31:1396
2. Mahdi HR, El Hennawy HM. Omphalolith presented with peritonitis: A case report Cases J. 2009;2:8191
3. Goel V. Huge umbilical stone: A rare cause of umbilical abscess J Case Rep. 2015;5:410–2
