Ultrasonographic diagnosis of ectasia of the umbilical vein

Anomalies of the umbilical cord are associated with high rates of stillbirth, possibly because of fetal hypoxia during pregnancy. In the past, this pathology was usually detected after delivery, thus preventing any therapeutic measures from being taken to save the infant's life. Progress towards a prenatal diagnosis of umbilical cord defects has been made recently with the introduction of high-resolution ultrasound examination; in this way it was possible to diagnose correctly cases of umbilical cord hematoma, angiomyxoma, and allantoic cyst. Here we describe a case of ectasia of the umbilical vein with fetal distress, which we were able to recognize by ultrasonic imaging and successfully treat by elective cesarean section.