- Patent urachus
- A birth defect involving the urachus, a canal connecting the bladder of the fetus with the allantois, a structure that contributes to the formation of the umbilical cord. The lumen (inside) of the urachus is normally obliterated during embryonic development, transforming the urachus into a solid cord, a functionless remnant. Failure for the lumen of the urachus to be filled in leaves a patent (open) urachus. The telltale sign is leakage of urine through the umbilicus. A patent urachus needs to be surgically removed.
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a congenital anomaly in which the urachus remains patent from the bladder to the umbilicus, with a channel that may be small or large and leakage of urine at the umbilicus.
Medical dictionary. 2011.