Prenatal diagnosis of single umbilical artery complicated by intrauterine growth retardation and preterm labor: Case report

Abstract

Fetuses with single umbilical artery (SUA) at great risk of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) and prematurity. A 24-years-old woman, 28 weeks' gestation, presented to the Ahmadi hospital, Kuwait, with history of preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes (PPROM). After exclusion of the PPROM, the ultrasound scan of the studied woman showed; asymmetrical IUGR with SUA. The diagnosis of SUA confirmed by the color flow Doppler. She delivered spontaneously at 36 weeks+2, and a cut section in the umbilical cord done to confirm the diagnosis of SUA. The congenital and chromosomal abnormalities of the studied neonate excluded after normal pelvi-abdominal, brain ultrasound and normal karyotyping (46, xx); respectively. The prenatal diagnosed SUA in the studied cases associated with IUGR, preterm labor (PTL) and small for gestational age (SGA). SUA can be considered a marker of diagnosable congenital fetal malformation (CFM) and aneuploidy.

Keywords

• Artery
• intrauterine growth retardation
• preterm
• single
• umbilical