Antenatal incomplete rupture of the umbilical cord. A case report

Intrauterine rupture of the umbilical cord is a rare complications, and it's even less frequent in antenatal situation. We describe such a case, with the prenatal demise of a 33-week male fetus in a 2 parous 31 year old patient. The only risk factors identified were: extremely long umbilical cord, oligoamnios, pericervical umbilical loops and extensive vascular thrombosis. The intraoperative assessment showed an intensively blood-stained amniotic fluid, and a partial rupture of the cord close to the placental insertion. As in short cords, a very long cord might have produced important traction in a low quantity of amniotic fluid environment, and determine the rupture and the severe fetal consequence. In our case they were associated with extensive vein thrombosis, which might have lead to intraamniotic hemorrhage and contribute to the fetal demise.