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By Mayo Clinic staffFor children, complications of an umbilical hernia are rare. Rarely, the protruding abdominal tissue becomes trapped (incarcerated) and can no longer be pushed back into the abdominal cavity. This reduces the blood supply to the section of trapped intestine and can lead to umbilical pain and tissue damage.
Adults are somewhat more likely to experience incarceration or obstruction of the intestines. Emergency surgery is typically required to treat these complications.