Umbilical
granuloma (UG) is the most common cause of umbilical mass and it is formed in the first few weeks of life after the umbilical cord separates. Though there are different options of treatment described in the literature, there is no clear consensus on the best option of treatment. In our case, we will describe the complete resolution of
granuloma with
salt treatment with no adverse effect.
CASE PRESENTATION: An 18-day-old female infant presented to the outpatient department (OPD) with concerns of swelling over the umbilicus with a yellowish discharge of one-day duration noticed after separation of the umbilical cord. The discharge was, initially, odorless, with no fecal or urine content, no
pain, and behavioral change in the neonate. The mother was advised on sponge wash and to apply
silver nitrate or liquid
nitrogen. After five days, the patient presents with purulent discharge from the umbilical swelling of two-day duration but no other complaint. Discharge was noted to be purulent but no
erythema in the surrounding skin. The patient had no
leukocytosis on labs. A teaspoon of cooking
salt was applied to cover the whole
granuloma and packed the umbilicus for 30 minutes with gauze. After 30 minutes on the pack, the
salt was removed and cleaned with
normal saline. Subsequently, after the
salt was applied, the
granuloma changed from red to blush hue. After three applications of
salt pack, the
granuloma decreased in size, became dry, and separated. There was no side effect noted and the infant was followed up with no recurrence noted at 3 months of age.
CONCLUSION: