A plexus of dilated veins around the umbilicus, seen in patients with portal hypertension (usually as a result of cirrhosis of the liver). It may be seen in newborns.
A condition named after Medusa, who, in mythology, had a head of snakes, and this condition is highly descriptive of the appearance of enlarged veins that develop on the abdominal wall, particularly around the navel. This occurs in cases of portal obstruction resulting from liver cirrhosis. These veins create an alternative pathway for blood to return from the abdominal organs to reach the liver and the heart.