Cruveilhier-Baumgarten Syndrome

Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome is a rare condition in which portal hypertension, high blood pressure in the vein system draining the intestines and spleen into the liver, causes the umbilical vein to reopen and carry blood around a diseased or obstructed liver. Blood rerouted through this recanalized vein distends veins across the abdominal wall around the navel, producing a visible pattern of swollen veins, and a physician can often hear a continuous humming sound, called a venous hum, when listening over the area with a stethoscope. It is most often caused by cirrhosis of the liver, though it can also occur without cirrhosis when the portal vein itself is obstructed from birth. Management addresses the underlying cause of the portal hypertension, since the abdominal wall veins themselves are a visible consequence rather than the disease's primary problem.