Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development

Study the correlation of umbilical cord length with maternal and fetal parameters.

A prospective observational study carried out on 100 pregnant women, with singleton pregnancy with gestational age between 37 completed weeks to 41 completed weeks. The umbilical cords and placentae had been examined after delivery for any abnormalities in shape of placenta, the site of umbilical cord insertion in it, abnormalities and the relation of these parameters to perinatal outcome. The study was carried out in department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Baghdad Teaching Hospital for the period from 1^st of December 2013 to the 1^st of June 2014.

The mean Umbilical cord length was 69.8 ± 22.6 cm. There was a significant correlation between non-reassuring fetal heart and long umbilical cord (P=0.03), other significant correlation was between low APGAR score (at 1^st minute and 5^th minutes) and long umbilical cord as compared to normal length umbilical cord (P= 0.019 and 0.041). There is a significant association with only low Apgar score at 1^st and 5^th minute (P=0.027, and 0.015) while other clinical and perinatal outcome parameters showed no significant correlation with umbilical cord length in all comparisons (p>0.05).

Abnormal cord length either short or long cord associated with low Apgar score at l and 5 minute as compared to the normal length of cord and the long cord associated with no-reassuring fetal heart more than short or normal cord.