Midline Urachal Defect with Amelia

Today's episode is a conversation with an M2 at the School of Medicine who was born with an issue that likely arose around the third week of their embryonic development but was not properly diagnosed or treated until adulthood. In this critical period of development, the allantois (eventually hollowed out and called the urachus) makes contact with the umbilicus on one end and the developing bladder on the other. The bladder arises from the vesicle part of the urogenital sinus, whose other parts (pelvic and phallic) eventually become the lowest parts of the urinary tract. In this conversation, we explore some of the details of urinary system development and get insight into the process of Amelia's diagnosis.