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Dairy male calves are at risk of welfare compromise as they are usually transported at a very young age. The European Union has set a “completely healed navel” requirement for calf transport; moreover, a minimum age is established for longer journeys. However, this requirement has proven to be prone to misinterpretation. This study aimed to clarify what is meant by “navel healing” and to provide strong elements for reaching a consensus. The navels of 299 dairy calves (55 males, 244 females) aged 0–90 days were examined and scored 1 to 5 according to their healing status. Based on our results, a completely dry and shriveled navel (score 3) would imply a 25.5–38.0% risk of transporting too young calves. Alternatively, the presence of a scab covering the umbilical wound (score 4) would entail a 4.3% risk of transporting calves less than 10 days old and could be considered good practice for transporting calves (except for journeys exceeding 8 h). Conversely, complete navel healing (score 5) guarantees that calves that are too young are not transported; therefore, it should be considered best practice for transporting calves in general and the minimum requirement for transporting calves for journeys exceeding 8 h.

Objective This report presents a rare case of symptomatic primary umbilical endometriosis and reviews the literature on the topic with the aim to clarify some questions on the origin of endometriosis. Case report A 33-year-old woman with cyclic umbilical bleeding was found to have umbilical endometriosis. She had no history of pelvic or abdominal surgery. There was no past history of endometriosis or endometriosis-associated symptoms. An omphalectomy was performed after explorative laparoscopy to carefully inspect the abdominopelvic cavity and assess any coexisting pelvic endometriotic lesions. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of umbilical endometriosis. Conclusion Umbilical endometriosis is a rare but under-recognized phenomenon. Primary lesions are difficult to recognize, but probably represent an independent nosological entity. The possibility of endometriosis must be considered during the evaluation of an umbilical mass despite the absence of previous surgery. Complete excision and successive histology are highly recommended.

The umbilicus can be absent in congenital malformations that are associated to umbilical agenesia such as bladder exstrophy, gastroschisis or omphalocele or it can be excised during surgical procedures such as umbilical herniorrhaphy, abdominoplasty and laparotomy. We report a new technique for umbilical reconstruction, using a “bow tie”-shaped flap, partially made of scar tissue. We treated three female patients with absent umbilicus as a consequence of congenital malformations or previous surgical treatments. This method provided a good conical shape to the neoumbilicus with adequate depth and a wide external ring. Follow-up at 2 years showed that a satisfactory shape was maintained. Previously described techniques for neoumbilicoplasty were unsatisfying or seemed too complex in our hands. The reported technique is easy and simple, with good, stable and natural aesthetic results, and it can be effectively used for umbilical reconstruction in all primary or secondary cases of umbilical absence. Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.