Absence of Wharton’s jelly

Wharton’s jelly is a specialised tissue which surrounds the vasculature within the fetal umbilical cord. We present the case of a 42-year-old woman who gave birth to a female infant via emergency caesarean section. At the time of delivery, absence of Wharton’s jelly was noted. This finding was confirmed by histological examination. Emergency caesarean section was necessitated due to a fetal bradycardia, and of note, the patient had presented twice prior to this with reduced fetal movements.