Umbilical hernia. A retrospective study.

One hundred thirty-four cases of umbilical hernia in adults were analyzed as to etiologic and other significant factors. Congenital umbilical hernia is of much higher incidence in black people than white. This is not true of acquired umbilical hernia. On retrospection it was noted that congenital hernias that persisted into adult years had been 1.5 cm or more in diameter in infancy. This indicates that hernia size is a criterion for repair early in life.