Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2007; 17(04): 269-272
DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.36875
Obstetrics & Gynecologic Radiology

Single umbilical artery: Prevalence and clinical significance in prenatal sonography

Fatemeh Ghatresamani
Radiology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
,
Reza Javadrashid
Radiology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
,
Mohammad K Tarzamni
Radiology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
,
Sara Farhang
Radiology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
  PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of single umbilical artery (SUA) in an Iranian population and to determine the absent side and its association with malformations. Methods: We prospectively studied 3240 singleton pregnancies of 14 to 30 weeks of gestational age with USG. The absent side, pregnancy data, and the perinatal outcome were reviewed. Results: SUA occurred in 1.1% of pregnancies. The artery was absent on the left side in 27 (71.1%). Nine of those with SUA had malformations (24%) and there were three deaths. The average stage of pregnancy at which SUA was diagnosed was at 27 weeks and 2 days. 20 fetuses were male. Conclusion: The prevalence of SUA and associated anomalies in our population seems to be similar to that reported in other countries. Absence of the left artery was more common. Evaluating cord vessels at the 20 th week of pregnancy is valuable and fetuses with an isolated SUA will benefit from a more detailed assessment and USG monitoring.

Keywords

Congenital malformation - prenatal diagnosis - single umbilical artery - ultrasound.


Publication History

Article published online:
31 July 2021

© 2007. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd.
A-12, Second Floor, Sector -2, NOIDA -201301, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Neilson JP. Ultrasound for fetal assessment in early pregnancy (Cochrane Review). In : The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, Oxford Update Software, 2000.
  • 2 Heifetz SA. Single umbilical artery: A statistical analysis of 237 autopsy cases and review of the literature. Perspect Pediatr Pathol 1984;8:345-78.
  • 3 Gornall AS, Kurinczuk JJ, Konje JC. Antenatal detection of a single umbilical artery: Does it matter? Prenat Diagn 2003;23:117-23.
  • 4 Woo JS, Liang ST, Lo R. Characteristic pattern of Doppler umbilical arterial velocity waveform in conjoint twins. Gynecol Obstet Invest 1987;23:70-2.
  • 5 Parilla BV, Tamura RK, MacGregor SN, Geibel LJ, Sabbagha RE. The clinical significance of a single umbilical artery as an isolated finding on prenatal ultrasound. Obstet Gynecol 1995;85:570-2.
  • 6 Froehlich LA, Fujikura T. Follow-up of infants with single umbilical artery. Pediatrics 1973;52:6-13.
  • 7 Geipel A, Germer U, Welp T, Schwinger E, Gembruch U. Prenatal diagnosis of a single umbilical artery: Determination of the absent side, associated anomalies, Doppler findings and perinatal outcome. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2000 15:114-7.
  • 8 Herrmann UJ Jr, Sidiropoulos D. Single umbilical artery: Prenatal findings. Prenat Diagn 1988;8:275-80.
  • 9 Farrell T, Leslie J, Owen P. Accuracy and significance of prenatal diagnosis of single umbilical artery. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2000;16:667.
  • 10 Jauniaux E, Campell S, Vyas S. The use of color Doppler imaging for prenatal diagnosis of umbilical cord anomalies: Report of three cases. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1989;161:1195-7.
  • 11 Jeanty P. Fetal and funicular vascular anomalies: Identification with prenatal ultrasound. Radiology 1989;173:367-70.
  • 12 Bourke WG, Clarke TA, Mathews TG, O′Halpin D, Donoghue VB. Isolated single umbilical artery-the case for routine renal screening. Arch Dis Child 1993;68:600-1.
  • 13 Rembouskos G, Cicero S, Longo D, Sacchini C, Nicolaides KH. Single umbilical artery at 11-14 weeks′ gestation: Relation to chromosomal defects. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2003;22:567-70.
  • 14 Kasznica J, Carlson JA, Coppedge D. Ectrodactyly, retrognathism: Abnormal ears, highly arched palate, spina bifida, congenital heart defect, single umbilical artery. Am J Med Genet 1991;40:414-6.
  • 15 Jones TB, Sorokin Y, Bhatia R, Zador IE, Bottoms SF. Single umbilical artery: Accurate diagnosis? Am J Obstet Gynecol 1993;169:538-40.
  • 16 Abuhamad AZ, Shaffer W, Mari G, Copel JA, Hobbins JC, Evans AT. Single umbilical artery: Does it matter which artery is missing. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995;173:728-32.
  • 17 Blazer S, Sujov P, Escholi Z, Itai B, Bronshtein M. Single umbilical left or right artery? Does it matter? Prenat Diagnos 1997;17:5-8.
  • 18 Fukada Y, Yasumizi T, Hoshi K. Single umbilical artery: Correlation of the prognosis and side of the missing artery. Int J Gynecol Obstet 1998;61:67-8.
  • 19 Monie IW. Genesis of single umbilical artery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1970;108:400-5.
  • 20 Pierce BT, Dance VD, Wagner RK, Apodaca CC, Nielsen PE, Calhoun BC. Perinatal outcome following fetal single umbilical artery diagnosis. J Matern Fetal Med 2001;10:59-63.
  • 21 Romero R, Pilu G, Jeanty P, Ghidini A, Hobbins JC. The umbilical cord. In : Romero R, Pilu F, Jeanty P, Ghidini A, Hobbins JC, editors. Prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies. Appleton and Lange: California; 1988. p. 385-402.
  • 22 Cristina MP, Ana G, Ines T, Manuel GE, Enrique IG. Perinatal results following the prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of single umbilical artery. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2005;84:1068-74.
  • 23 Catanzarite VA, Hendricks SK, Maida C, Westbrook C, Cousins L, Schrimmer D. Prenatal diagnosis of the two-vessel cord: Implications for patient counseling and obstetric management. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1995;5:98-105.
  • 24 Lilja M. Infants with single umbilical artery studied in a national registry 2: Survival and malformations in infants with single umbilical artery. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 1992;6:416-22.