RESUMEN
Objective To study the anatomical relationship between the umbilicus and the retroperitoneal major vessels. Methods A total of 80 female patients undergoing laparoscopy in our department were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to their body mass index (BMI):low-weight group,normal-weight group,overweight group,and obese group. During the operation,the surgeons palpated the abdominal aorta,right common iliac artery,and left common iliac artery with hand to determine their relationship to the umbilicus. The abdominal aortic bifurcation was used as a reference point to determine its position in relation to the umbilicus. Results (1) The bifurcation was above the level of the umbilicus in 17 (21.2%) cases,at the umbilicus level in 29 (36.3%) cases,and below that in 34 (42.5%) cases. Among the four groups,the position of the bifurcation was significantly different (?2=16.769,P=0.010). In the overweight and obese groups,most of the patients had the umbilicus located under the level of the aortic bifurcation [65.0% (13/20) and 75.0% (6/8) respectively],while in the normal-weight group,47.6% (20/42) of the cases had the umbilicus above the aortic bifurcation(P