Placenta to the rescue: A case of congenital toxoplasmosis

Abstract

Tumours of the umbilical cord represent an exceedingly rare group of lesions and include teratoma and vascular lesions. Such vascular lesions have received different labels in the past including haemangioma and angiomyxoma, which are considered by some as variations of the same lesion. Presented here is a case of angiomyxoma of the umbilical cord including clinical and pathological findings, as well as a review of the available literature. This case review involves a 29-year-old, gravida 5 para 3, female who presented with umbilical cord mass detected on ultrasound at 23 weeks gestation. The patient delivered a healthy liveborn infant at 38 weeks by caesarean section. Macroscopic examination of the placenta demonstrated a 68 mm rounded mass towards the placental end of the cord with a glistening cut surface. Microscopic examination revealed an umbilical cord lesion composed of small but variably sized, thin walled vessels with abundant myxoid stroma. The associated endothelial cells were CD31 positive, ERG positive and D2-40 negative without significant atypia or increased mitotic activity. This case has been presented as a demonstration of a rare placental tumour that can be associated with increased foetal morbidity and mortality.