Single umbilical artery: what does it mean for the fetus?

Single umbilical artery (SUA) is the most common anomaly of the umbilical cord which affects between 0.5 and 2.5% of all pregnancies. Our purpose was to determine whether there was a significant relationship between SUA and other anatomical anomalies. All cases of fetal single umbilical artery identified in our hospital between 2002-2005 were reviewed for other ultrasound detected abnormalities. 18 cases of single umbilical artery were diagnosed on the basis of initial sonograms. 17 cases formed the study population (in 10 cases the left artery and in 7 the right artery was absent). In one case we diagnosed an umbilical cord tumor. 33.3% had other anatomical anomalies. The mean of women in the study was 30.5 years, the mean gestational age at examination was 28 weeks. In most cases the SUA occurs to be an isolated anomaly. In cases of SUA, the detailed ultrasound examination should be performed. Left artery absence is more common and also in these cases other anatomical anomalies are more likely to be observed as well. In our study we did not find a correlation between SUA and IUGR.