Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Guide Wire Assisted Catheterization and Colored Dye Injection for Vascular Mapping of Monochorionic Twin Placentas
Published on: September 5, 2011
Supernumerary umbilical vein resulting in a four-vessel umbilical cord
1Department of Neonatology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
Abstract:
The birth of an infant with increased number of umbilical veins is a rare event and has been previously reported to be associated with a high incidence of major congenital anomalies. This report documents a normal infant with two umbilical veins resulting in a four vessel cord. A male infant (third of triplet pregnancy resulting from multiple zygote implantation) was born at 30 weeks' gestation weighing 1320 g.Two umbilical veins and two umbilical arteries were noted on cannulation and X ray. Physical examination and cranial, abdominal, and cardiac ultrasound exam were normal. One-year follow-up was normal. The birth of infant with a four-vessel cord mandates comprehensive workup for associated anomalies but this case indicates that such a finding is not always ominous.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Overview of Systemic Veins
The coronary sinus, the heart's principal vein, resides in the coronary sulcus on the heart's posterior aspect. This broad venous channel receives nearly all venous blood from the myocardium, the heart muscle. It is fed by three primary veins: the great cardiac vein, the middle...
01:19Veins of Thorax
The azygos vein, positioned just right of the midline and anterior to the vertebral column, begins at the junction of the right ascending lumbar and subcostal veins, terminating in the superior vena cava. This vein drains blood from the right side of the thoracic wall, thoracic viscera, and posterior abdominal wall.
The...
01:18Veins of the Abdomen and Pelvis
The inferior vena cava is fed by numerous smaller veins. The lumbar veins, for instance, drain the posterior abdominal wall, emptying both directly into the inferior vena cava and into the...
01:17Veins of Upper Limbs
The deep venous system is primarily composed of the ulnar and radial veins. The ulnar vein, which drains the fingers through the superficial palmar venous arches, and the radial vein, which serves the palms via the deep palmar...
01:07Development of Blood Vessels
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...
01:14Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...