After birth, when circulation in the placenta stops, only the pelvic portion of the umbilical artery remains patent, becoming the internal iliac and the first part of the superior vesicle artery in adulthood. The remainder of this vessel is converted into a solid fibrous cord, called the "medial umbilical ligament," which extends from the pelvis to the umbilicus, or navel, the depression in the abdomen that marks the point where the umbilical cord was attached to the fetus.
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