The umbilical cord is a structure that provides vascular flow between the fetus and the placenta. It contains two arteries and one vein, which are surrounded and supported by gelatinous tissue known as Wharton’s jelly. There are many umbilical cord abnormalities that are related to the prognosis of fetus survival and birth weight. The authors report a case of umbilical cord constriction due to the localized absence of Wharton’s jelly, which was undiagnosed antenatally and had a fatal outcome. A review of the association between the absence of Wharton’s jelly and an unfavorable pregnancy outcome was undertaken.
Benirschke K, Kaufman P, Baergen RN. Pathology of the human placenta. 5th ed. New York: Springer; 2006.
MoinianM, MeyerWW, LindJ. Diameters of umbilical cord vessels and the weight of the cord in relation to clamping time. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1969;105:604.
PatelD, DawsonM, KalyanamP, et al. Umbilical cord circumference at birth. Am J Dis Child. 1989;143:638-9.