Medial umbilical ligament
Ligamentum umbilicale mediale
- Latin synonym: Chorda arteriae umbilicalis
- Synonym: Cord of umbilical artery
- Related terms: Cord of umbilical artery
Definition
The medial umbilical ligament (or cord of umbilical artery) are paired structure localized on the deep surface of the anterior abdominal wall, and covered by the right and left medial umbilical folds.
The medial umbilical ligament corresponds to the distal occluded portion of the umbilical artery (that develops after birth when the umbilical cord is cut; the portion of the vessel gets replaced by fibrous tissue due to the lack of blood flow in the distal part of the umbilical artery).
The medial umbilical ligament should not be confused with the median umbilical ligament, an unpaired different structure that represents the remnant of the embryonic urachus, and that is covered by the median umbilical fold.
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