Anatomic Relation Between the
Umbilicus, Aortic Bifurcation,
and Transverse Colon in Males
Fawaz Alharbi, MD
Senior Resident, Department of Radiology
Ayman Al-Talib, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Dammam
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
David Valenti MD,
Associate Professor, Department of Radiology
Caroline Reinhold MD
Professor, Department of Radiology
Sarkis Meterissian MD
Professor, Department of Surgery
Togas Tulandi MD, MCHM
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Milton Leong Chair in Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
To examine the relationship between the umbilicus, major abdominal vessels, and transverse colon in males with differing body habitus, we conducted a prospective study including 91 male patients who underwent computerized tomography scan examinations. Of 91 males, 40 were normal weight, 27 overweight, and 24 obese. Compared with males of normal weight, the distance between the umbilicus and peritoneum was significantly greater in those who were overweight and obese. In males in whom the umbilicus was located cephalad to the aortic bifurcation, the distance was 1.4 to 2 cm. There was no significant difference in the distance among those who were normal weight, overweight, or obese. In males whose umbilicus was caudal to the aortic bifurcation, the distance in obese males (2.3±0.3 cm) was significantly greater than in those with normal weight (1.2±0.2 cm; P<0.01). Compared with normal weight males (8.6±0.7 cm), the distance between the umbilicus and transverse colon was significantly greater in the overweight males (10.7±0.7 cm, P: 0.02 CI -0.3 to -4.2) and obese males (11.5±1.0cm, P: 0.01; CI-0.4 to -5.0). The location of the aortic bifurcation in relation to the umbilicus in men varies. However, generally the umbilicus is located caudal to the transverse colon.
