Umbilical cord size and amniotic fluid volume in prolonged pregnancy

First‐trimester sonographic umbilical cord diameter and the growth of the human embryo

“…Using a computerized microscope, Bruch et al 7 demonstrated that the umbilical vessels and the Wharton's jelly ultrastructure of growth-restricted fetuses are significantly different from those of normal fetuses. We and others 5,9 have noted that the measurement of both the sonographic diameter and the umbilical cord area after 20 weeks of gestation could identify fetuses at risk for intrauterine growth restriction and intrapartum complications. Furthermore, it has been reported that a lean umbilical cord possesses a significantly smaller amount of Wharton's jelly in comparison to that of normal cords 6 .…”

“…Moreover, the presence of a lean umbilical cord in the second half of pregnancy puts the fetus at increased risk of being small-for-gestational age and of having signs of distress at delivery 5,9,10 . This seems to be the consequence of a reduced amount of Wharton's jelly 7,11 a normal constituent of the umbilical cord which plays a crucial role in maintaining the normal architecture of the umbilical cord and in regulating the blood flow from the placenta to the fetus 12 .…”

Expression of PECAM-1 and E-Cadherin in the Umblical Cords of Gestational Diabetic Mothers

“…Diabetic insult at later stages in gestation, such as in GDM, will lead to short-term changes in a variety of molecules for key functions including gene expression (Mayhew, 2002). The relationship between umbilical cord morphology and prenatal complications such as intrauterine losses, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth retardation and fetal distress has emphasized by some researchers (Raio et al, 1999;Di Naro et al, 2001a;Weissman & Jakobi, 1997;Goodlin, 1987;Silver et al, 1987). Presence of high glucose in GDM subjects may be involved in endothelial inflammation, as there are reports of association of high maternal glucose with complications like Chorioamnionitis, an inflammation of the fetal membranes (Scholl et al, 2001;Luke et al, 2005).…”

Activities of Some Glycosaminoglycan- Degrading Enzymes in Wharton’s Jelly and Their Alteration in EPH-Gestosis (Pre-Eclampsia)

“…It is suggested that gestational diabetes exerts a deleterious effect on umbilical vessels and the connective tissue component of Wharton's jelly [10]. According to Silver et al [11], a shortage of Wharton's jelly in the umbilical cord increases the risk of cord compression in prolonged pregnancy. Umbilical cord anomalies, e.g.…”

“…Each of them constitutes only a few percent of total GAGs [4][5][6][7]. It may be concluded from the reported data that at least some processes connected with pathology of the fetus may be caused by biochemical alterations in the umbilical cord [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], especially in Wharton's jelly. It was suggested that pathology of the umbilical cord occurs frequently but often goes unreported by obstetricians due to the fact that umbilical cords are not carefully examined in all cases of stillbirth [8].…”