JUM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Predanic, M.
Right arrow Articles by Chervenak, F. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Predanic, M.
Right arrow Articles by Chervenak, F. A.
© 2004 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
J Ultrasound Med 23:1177-1183 • 0278-4297

Fetal Aneuploidy and Umbilical Cord Thickness Measured Between 14 and 23 Weeks’ Gestational Age

Mladen Predanic, MD, MSc, Sriram C. Perni, MD, Stephen Chasen, MD and Frank A. Chervenak, MD

Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York USA.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Mladen Predanic, MD, MSc, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 525 E 68th St, Suite M-704, New York, NY 10021 USA. E-mail: mlp2001{at}med.cornell.edu.

Objective. To evaluate and compare umbilical cord thickness of aneuploid fetuses with umbilical cord diameter nomograms generated from euploid fetuses between 14 and 23 weeks’ gestational age. Methods. A retrospective study was conducted in which 56 fetuses and neonates had diagnoses of abnormal karyotypes, of which 46 fetuses had numerical chromosomal abnormalities. Among these cases, 26 subjects with adequate umbilical cord sonographic images were included in the study. The umbilical cord thickness was measured and plotted against the umbilical cord diameter nomogram that was generated from previously published data. Results. From 26 evaluated fetuses and neonates, in 14 subjects (53.8%), the umbilical cord thickness was greater than the 95th percentile for gestational age. A thick umbilical cord was observed in 57.8% of fetuses with trisomy 21 and 50% of subjects with trisomy 18 and monosomy 45,XO. One fetus with trisomy 2 had umbilical cord thickness within the normal range. The largest number of aneuploid fetuses with thick umbilical cords (87.5%) was observed between 16 and 17 gestational weeks. Conclusion. Aneuploid fetuses have thicker umbilical cords than euploid fetuses. The umbilical cord thickness can be related to an increased amount of Wharton jelly. Because of the smaller number of thick umbilical cords in aneuploid subjects at later gestational ages, we speculate that abnormal cord thickness has a natural tendency toward its own resolution with the advancement of gestational age.

Key Words: aneuploidy • gestational age • sonography • umbilical cord diameter

Abbreviations: NT, nuchal translucency

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.