Umbilical discharge is a symptom of a varied pathology. We analysed the files of 22 patients with umbilical discharge operated on in our hospital over a period of 23 years. In 13 patients the umbilical discharge was accompanied by an acute umbilical inflammation. In 10 patients the symptoms were caused by embryonic anomalies and in 12 patients by an acquired pathology. We propose a surgical technique that can be applied regardless of the pathology, and that does not involve a pre-operative assessment of the causes.