RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Congenital hernia of cord: an often misdiagnosed entity
JF BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP bcr2015209642
DO 10.1136/bcr-2015-209642
VO 2015
A1 Rubin Raju
A1 Mohamed Satti
A1 Quoc Lee
A1 Ivana Vettraino
YR 2015
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2015/bcr-2015-209642.abstract
AB Congenital hernia of the cord, also known as umbilical cord hernia, is an often misdiagnosed and under-reported entity, easily confused with a small omphalocele. It is different from postnatally diagnosed umbilical hernias and is believed to arise from persistent physiological mid-gut herniation. Its incidence is estimated to be 1 in 5000. Unlike an omphalocele, it is considered benign and is not linked with chromosomal anomalies. It has been loosely associated with intestinal anomalies, suggesting the need for a complete fetal anatomical ultrasound evaluation. We present a case of a fetal umbilical cord hernia diagnosed in a 28-year-old woman at 21 weeks gestation. The antenatal and intrapartum courses were uncomplicated. It was misdiagnosed postnatally as a small omphalocele, causing unwarranted anxiety in the parents. Increased awareness and knowledge of such an entity among health professionals is important to prevent unwarranted anxiety from misdiagnosis, and inadvertent bowel injury during cord clamping at delivery.