Spontaneous Endometriosis Within a Primary Umbilical Hernia.

Umbilical hernias are rather common in the General Surgery clinic; however, endometriosis of an umbilical hernia is rare. It is especially unusual to have endometriosis of an umbilical hernia spontaneously occur compared to occurring at a site of a prior surgery. We present a case of spontaneous endometriosis of an umbilical hernia without prior surgery to her umbilicus. She had not presented with the usual symptoms of endometriosis and it was not considered as a diagnosis prior to surgery. Umbilical endometriosis is rare but usually occurs after prior laparoscopic surgery. We believe this is the second reported case in the English literature and the first such case reported from North America of spontaneous endometriosis of an umbilical hernia. This case highlights the importance of a full review of systems and qualifying the type and occurrence of pain. Additionally, it is always important to analyze surgical specimens in pathology to avoid errors in diagnosis.