Ectopic pancreatic rests: a rare cause of persistent umbilical discharge

Ectopic pancreatic rests are rare. We report two cases discovered in infants who underwent surgical exploration of the umbilicus for persistent umbilical discharge with peri-umbilical excoriation. A shallow sinus leading to a firm cyst was excised in both infants, and histopathological study confirmed the presence of exocrine and endocrine pancreatic tissue. There is only one other case of ectopic umbilical pancreatic tissue reported, and this was in a patient presenting with an umbilical mass. Accepted: 4 February 1999