Single Umbilical Artery (SUA)
Occasionally, there is only the one single umbilical artery (SUA) present in the umbilical cord.[1] This is sometimes also called a two-vessel umbilical cord, or two-vessel cord. Approximately, this affects between 1 in 100 and 1 in 500 pregnancies, making it the most common umbilical abnormality. Its cause is not known.
Most cords have one vein and two arteries. The vein carries oxygenated blood from the placenta to the baby and the arteries carry deoxygenated blood from the baby to the placenta. In approximately 1% of pregnancies there are only two vessels —usually a single vein and single artery. In about 75% of those cases, the baby is entirely normal and healthy. One artery can support a pregnancy and does not necessarily indicate problems. For the other 25%, a 2-vessel cord is a sign that the baby has other abnormalities—sometimes life-threatening and sometimes not.[2]
Doctors and midwives often suggest parents take the added precaution of having regular growth scans near term to rule out intrauterine growth restriction, which can happen on occasion and warrant intervention. Yet the majority of growth restricted infants with the abnormality also have other defects. Finally, neonates with the finding may also have a higher occurrence of renal problems, therefore close examination of the infant may be warranted shortly after birth. Among SUA infants, there is a slightly elevated risk for post-natal urinary infections.
Glossary Quick Search
Acardiac Twin
Achondrogenesis
Acrania
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
Amelia
Amniocentesis
Amniotic Band Syndrome
Anembryonic Pregnancy
Anencephaly
Aneuploidy
Aneuploidy Screening
Anhydramnios
Antenatal Surveillance
Aqueductal Stenosis
Arthrogryposis
Asphyxiating Thoracic Dystrophy (ATD)
Atelosteogenesis Type 2
Atrial Septal Defect
Autosomal Recessive
Autosomal Dominant
Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD)
Camptomelic Dysplasia
Cardiac Rhabdomyoma
Carrier Screening
Caudal Regression Syndrome
Cell Free DNA
Chiari Malformation
Chloacal Anomaly
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
Choroid Plexus Cyst
Chromosomal Deletion
Chromosomal Duplication
Chromosomal Translocation
Chromosomes
Cleft Lip
Cleft Palate
Comfort Care
Congenital
Congenital Chylothorax
Congenital Heart Defect
Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome (CHAOS)
Congenital Scoliosis
Craniopagus Conjoined Twins
Criss-Cross Heart
Cyanotic Heart Disease
Cystic Hygroma
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Pallister Killian Syndrome
Pediatric Hospice
Pediatric Paliative Care
Pena-Shokeir Syndrome
Pentalogy of Cantrell
Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS)
Pericardial Effusion
Perinatal Hospice
Perinatal Loss
Perinatal Palliative Care
Perinatal Period
Pleural Effusion
Polycystic Kidney Disease
Polyhydramnios
Porencephaly
Positive Predictive Value
Potter Syndrome
Pregnancy Continuation
Pregnancy Loss
Pregnancy Termination
Prenatal Diagnosis
Pulmonary Hypoplasia