A bladder anomaly that presents as a cyst along the urachal tract connecting the bladder to the umbilicus is called what?

A bladder anomaly that presents as a cyst along the urachal tract connecting the bladder to the umbilicus is called what?

• A. Ureterocele
• B. Diverticulum
• C. Urachal cyst
• D. Hydronephrosis

Answer: (C)

This question tests knowledge of urachal remnants and their congenital anomalies. The urachus is the canal that connects the bladder to the umbilicus during fetal life and normally becomes the median umbilical ligament. If the middle portion persists as a cyst while the ends close, a cystic remnant forms along the tract between the bladder and the umbilicus. That finding is a urachal cyst: a midline, fluid-filled sac located along the urachal pathway, often seen on ultrasound as a cyst between bladder and umbilicus and typically not communicating with either structure. This is distinct from a ureterocele, which is a dilated distal ureter at the vesicoureteral junction within the bladder; a diverticulum, which is an outpouching from the bladder wall itself; and hydronephrosis, which is dilation of the kidney’s collecting system due to obstruction rather than a cyst along the urachal tract.

This question tests knowledge of urachal remnants and their congenital anomalies. The urachus is the canal that connects the bladder to the umbilicus during fetal life and normally becomes the median umbilical ligament. If the middle portion persists as a cyst while the ends close, a cystic remnant forms along the tract between the bladder and the umbilicus. That finding is a urachal cyst: a midline, fluid-filled sac located along the urachal pathway, often seen on ultrasound as a cyst between bladder and umbilicus and typically not communicating with either structure.

This is distinct from a ureterocele, which is a dilated distal ureter at the vesicoureteral junction within the bladder; a diverticulum, which is an outpouching from the bladder wall itself; and hydronephrosis, which is dilation of the kidney’s collecting system due to obstruction rather than a cyst along the urachal tract.