Abstract

Two cases of urachal anomaly (1 urachal cyst and 1 patent urachus) are reported in a neonate and an eleven-year old boy, respectively. In case 1, the patient was born after an uncomplicated pregnancy to a mother who had taken progesterone during the first trimester. Because of breech presentation, cesarian section was elected to deliver a male baby weighing 2.3 kg who showed abdominal distension. The patient died of respiratory difficulty several minutes after birth. At autopsy, there was a large cyst in the midpoint of the abdominal and pelvic cavity. This round cyst was composed of two components, urachus and urinary bladder. No area of umbilicocystic fistula was present. The lining epithelium was chiefly of transitional type. Assocaited anomalies were segmental stenosis of posterior urethra, absence of abdominal musculature, bilateral polycystic kidney of Potter type IV, hydroureter, and hypoplasia of lungs. Low set ears, micrognathia and club foot were also present. In case 2 the patient was 11-year old boy. He had suffered from intermittent urinary dribbling from umbilicus since early infancy, whenever the abdominal pressure was increased. The patency of urachus was confirmed by fistulography. And the urachal anomaly was surgically removed. Histopathologically the resected patent urachus consisted of pseudostratified columnar to transitional epithelium resting on fibrous stroma mixed with well formed smooth muscle bundles.