Medial umbilical ligament

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The medial umbilical ligament is a paired structure found in human anatomy. It is on the deep surface of the anterior abdominal wall, and is covered by the medial umbilical folds.

It represents the remnant of the fetal umbilical artery, which serves no purpose in humans after birth. In an adult it will be shrivelled.

It may be used as a landmark for surgeons exploring the medial inguinal fossa during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Other than this, it has no purpose in an adult and it may be cut or damaged with impunity.

The supravesical fossa, and therefore a supravesical hernia, is medial to this structure. The medial inguinal fossa, and therefore a direct inguinal hernia, is lateral to it.

• median umbilical ligament (which is a different structure)
• lateral umbilical ligament

• Medial umbilical ligament
  • Template:SUNYAnatomyFigs – “The inguinal canal and derivation of the layers of the spermatic cord.”
  • Template:SUNYAnatomyImage
  • Template:SUNYAnatomyImage

• Medial umbilical fold
  • Template:SUNYAnatomyFigs – “Internal surface of the anterior abdominal wall.”

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  Dissection of side wall of pelvis showing sacral and pudendal plexuses.
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  Inguinal fossae

Template:Fetal remnant ligaments

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