[Significance of umbilical cord anomalies within the frame of perinatal mortality]

Anomalies of vessels of the umbilical cord (especially the aplasia of one arteria) are besides abnormal placental implantations and pathological alterations of the placental tissue itself of particular importance for the perinatal mortality. In 3 out of 11 cases of perinatal death of the University Clinic of Jena of the years 1971 and 1972 there had been found 3 times anomalies of vessels of the umbilical cord. Each of these 3 cases showed severe malformations. This emphasizes the necessity of checking the presence of the 3 vessels on the cross-section of the umbilical cord in every case of inspecting secundinae.