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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
06:58
Culturing and Measuring Fetal and Newborn Murine Long Bones
Published on: April 26, 2019
Fetal bone strength and umbilical cord length.
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84158, USA.
Summary
Short umbilical cords in newborns are linked to lower bone strength. This study found infants with shorter cords had reduced tibial speed of sound, indicating poorer bone mineralization.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Bone Health
- Fetal Development
- Neonatal Physiology
Background:
- Fetal activity is crucial for bone mass development in infants and adults.
- Umbilical cord length may serve as an indicator of fetal movement and activity levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between umbilical cord length and bone mineralization in newborns.
- To test the hypothesis that shortened umbilical cords correlate with decreased bone mineralization due to reduced fetal activity.
Main Methods:
- Compared 8 healthy term infants with shortened umbilical cords to 15 control term infants.
- Measured umbilical cord length and diameter, and newborn tibial speed of sound (SOS).
- Excluded mothers with pre-eclampsia, hypertension, chorioamnionitis, or prolonged ruptured membranes.
Main Results:
- Infants with shorter umbilical cords (46+/-2 cm) had significantly lower tibial SOS (3047+/-107 m/sec) compared to controls (57+/-4 cm; 3194+/-311 m/sec).
- Tibial SOS showed a positive correlation with umbilical cord length (r=0.57, P<0.01).
- No significant differences were found in maternal age, parity, infant gender, birth weight, or placental weight between groups.
Conclusions:
- Short umbilical cord length in newborns is associated with reduced bone strength.
- This finding suggests a potential link between fetal activity, umbilical cord length, and neonatal bone development.
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