Umbilical knot
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| O69.2 | Complications in labor and delivery from other umbilical cord entanglements |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
An umbilical cord knot is a complication in which a knot forms in the umbilical cord during pregnancy that can endanger the blood supply to the unborn child.
Real umbilical cord knot
A real umbilical cord knot develops in around one to two percent of all pregnancies. This refers to a simple but also double knot in the umbilical cord, which is probably formed in the uterus as a result of increased activity and rotation of the fetus . By pulling the knot and the associated reduced blood flow, there is a risk of intrauterine fetal death as a result of the lack of oxygen . Umbilical cord nodes are responsible for around five percent of all perinatal childhood deaths. If an umbilical cord knot does not become symptomatic until delivery, it can lead to a slowed heart rate or so-called variable decelerations during the birth , similar to an umbilical cord prolapse . The diagnosis is only made after birth or stillbirth .
Wrong umbilical cord knot
A swelling of the Wharton's jelly , the connective tissue covering the umbilical cord, or additional curvatures or varices of the umbilical veins can simulate an umbilical cord knot. However, this is not an emergency.
literature
- M. Stauber, T. Weyerstahl: Dual series of gynecology and obstetrics. 3. Edition. Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-13-125343-9 .
- Heinrich Schmidt-Matthiesen, Diethelm Wallwiener: Gynecology and obstetrics. 10th edition. Schattauer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-7945-2260-5 .
