Mode of umbilical cord insertion and neonatal weight, and some placental factors

Abstract

Background: Birth weight is an important determinant of health of a child, with low birth weight associated with the occurrence of many chronic diseases in adult life. Aim: The objective of this study is to determine the correlation between mode of insertion of umbilical cord and neonatal weight and some placental variables. Methods: Forty placentas were obtained from the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in the Central Region. Umbilical cord length was measured and its position on the placenta noted and recorded. The placentas were trimmed and measurements of placental weight, diameter, and thickness were measured using Olympic smart scale and anthropometric measure respectively and then the volume were also recorded. Results: Three forms of umbilical cord insertion on the placentas were observed: central, eccentric and marginal. The result obtained shows that 57.5% of the umbilical cord insertions were eccentric, central cord insertions were 11 (27.5%) and marginal insertions were 6 (15%). Conclusion: The results were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square and showed that the umbilical cord inserts more eccentrically and that mode of umbilical cord insertion has no association with the placental variables and birth weight looked at and thus mode of cord insertion may not significantly influence birth weight of the neonate. There was however a positive association between placental index and umbilical cord length (P < 0.05)