Objective
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antenatal umbilical cord coiling index
obtained during the fetal anatomic survey in the second trimester as a predictor of
adverse pregnancy outcome.
Study design
Four hundred twenty-five consecutive women who had a fetal anatomic survey between
18 to 23 weeks of gestation were evaluated for umbilical cord coiling. The antenatal
umbilical cord coiling index was calculated as a reciprocal value of the distance
between a pair of coils (antenatal umbilical cord coiling index = 1/distance in cm) and was correlated with the following adverse pregnancy outcomes:
(1) small for gestational age, (2) mode of delivery, (3) presence of meconium-stained
amniotic fluid, (4) presence of nonreassuring fetal status in labor, and (5) Apgar
scores at 1 and 5 minutes.
Results
A total of 294 patients had adequate ultrasound images and all antenatal and labor
data to meet the study inclusion criteria. Abnormal coiling was associated significantly
with small for gestational age neonates at birth (P = .043) and nonreassuring fetal status in labor (P = .007). Nine of 58 neonates (15.5%) with abnormal umbilical coiling were small for
gestational age infants compared with 15 of 236 small for gestational age neonates
(6.4%) who had normal cord coiling. A nonreassuring fetal status in labor was observed
in 25.7% of fetuses (15/58 fetuses) with abnormal umbilical coiling compared with
11.0% of fetuses (26/236 fetuses) with normal cord coiling. In contrast, no statistical
difference for Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes or higher prevalence of interventional
deliveries and meconium-stained amniotic fluid in labor between the groups with normal
and abnormal umbilical cord coiling was observed.
Conclusion
Abnormal umbilical cord coiling that is detected at the fetal ultrasound anatomic
survey in the second trimester is associated with a higher prevalence of small for
gestational age neonates and nonreassuring fetal status in labor. This observation
can be used potentially as a predictor of adverse antenatal or perinatal events in
future studies.
Key words
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
December 28,
2004
Received in revised form:
December 10,
2004
Received:
October 21,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
