Abstract

INCIDENTAL FINDING OF AN UNUSUALLY LONG UMBILICAL CORD DURING NORMAL VAGINAL DELIVERY: A CASE REPORT

*Dr. Jyoti Singh, Dr. Swati Malsariya, Prof. K. Bharathi

Abstract

Background: The average length of a human umbilical cord is approximately 50–60 cm. Cords exceeding 70 cm are considered abnormally long and may be associated with complications such as cord entanglement, prolapse, or true knots. However, long cords may occasionally be encountered without any adverse perinatal outcomes. This report presents a case of an unexpectedly long umbilical cord identified during an uncomplicated normal vaginal delivery. Case Presentation: A 27-year-old primigravida delivered a healthy male neonate at 38 weeks 6 days of gestation via spontaneous vaginal delivery. Labor progressed normally without any interventions or complications. The umbilical cord was noted to be abnormally long and coiled multiple times, around the newborn’s body but without any signs of distress. A mild helix abnormality of the bilateral ear was observed and transient recurrent neonatal hypoglycemia were observed but were successfully managed and did not result in long-term complications. Upon measurement, the cord length was found to be 102 cm. No knots or signs of vascular compromise were observed. The neonate had an APGAR score of 9 and 10 at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. Discussion: Despite its potential to cause complications, the presence of a long umbilical cord in this case did not adversely affect labor or neonatal outcome. This observation underscores the variability in umbilical cord anatomy and highlights the importance of documenting such findings, even when they are incidental. Conclusion: Long umbilical cords can be discovered incidentally during normal deliveries and may not necessarily indicate or lead to complications. Routine postpartum examination of the cord should be encouraged for better understanding of such anatomical variations.

Keywords: Long umbilical cord, normal vaginal delivery, obstetric observation, fetal outcome, cord length.