Umbilical Cord Teratomas Associated With Congenital Malformations

Umbilical Cord Teratoma - A Short Case Report

Background: Teratomas can occur in the umbilical cord, and may or may not be associated with other congenital abnormalities. Case report: This 35-year-old primigravida gave birth 37-38 weeks to a 3290-g normal female. The umbilical cord, at 10 cm from the abdominal insertion, had an 8 cm mature teratoma. Work-up revealed no other abnormalities. Discussion: Mature teratomas may occur in the umbilical cord, and may or may not have additional clinical sequalae.

Umbilical Cord Teratoma Presenting as Ruptured Omphalocele

Congenital mature teratomas of the umbilical cord are extremely rare. We report on a girl who presented with a ruptured omphalocele and a 7 cm mass connected to the umbilicus, which we resected on the first day of life. Histology revealed mature umbilical cord teratoma . On the 29th day of life, a secondary laparotomy was necessary to address the associated intestinal malformations (megaduodenum, stenotic small bowel with duplication and malrotation). After a prolonged hospital stay, we discharged the patient in age-appropriate conditions. Antenatal diagnosis of an umbilical cord tumor can be challenging in the presence of an omphalocele. Given the high prevalence of associated malformations, the finding of umbilical cord teratoma should be followed by a detailed and comprehensive neonatal workup for additional abnormalities.

Placenta Teratoma or Acardiac Fetus Amorphous: A Case Study by DNA Genotyping

To date, 40 cases of placental teratoma and 21 cases of umbilical cord teratoma have been reported in the literature. Such entities are purportedly described as originating from ectopically derived totipotential germ cells forming 1 or more of 3 germ layers, similar to teratomas arising in other sites. These entities have been described as distinct from acardiac twins based on the absence of both an axial skeleton and/or separate umbilical cord attachment. We present a case that would be compatible with placental teratoma according to these criteria. However, DNA genotyping analysis of the "teratoma" and its corresponding normal placental tissue revealed an identical genetic profile at all microsatellite polymorphic loci with exception of one locus demonstrating loss of heterozygosity involving 1 of 2 "teratoma" samples tested. Our finding established that the "teratoma" in fact represented a monozygotic acardiac (amorphous) twin with aberrant division of embryogenesis as a continuum of the monozygotic twinning phenomenon. In summary, this is the first case study of so-called placental teratoma by DNA genotyping investigation. We conclude that the diagnostic term "placental teratoma" should be discouraged unless evidence of monozygotic twining can be ruled out by molecular genotyping.

Current Perspectives of Prenatal Sonography of Umbilical Cord Morphology

The umbilical cord constitutes a continuation of the fetal cardiovascular system anatomically bridging between the placenta and the fetus. This structure, critical in human development, enables mobility of the developing fetus within the gestational sac in contrast to the placenta, which is anchored to the uterine wall. The umbilical cord is protected by unique, robust anatomical features, which include: length of the umbilical cord, Wharton’s jelly, two umbilical arteries, coiling, and suspension in amniotic fluid. These features all contribute to protect and buffer this essential structure from potential detrimental twisting, shearing, torsion, and compression forces throughout gestation, and specifically during labor and delivery. The arterial components of the umbilical cord are further protected by the presence of Hyrtl’s anastomosis between the two respective umbilical arteries. Abnormalities of the umbilical cord are uncommon yet include excessively long or short cords, hyper or hypocoiling, cysts, single umbilical artery, supernumerary vessels, rarely an absent umbilical cord, stricture, furcate and velamentous insertions (including vasa previa), umbilical vein and arterial thrombosis, umbilical artery aneurysm, hematomas, and tumors (including hemangioma angiomyxoma and teratoma). This commentary will address current perspectives of prenatal sonography of the umbilical cord, including structural anomalies and the potential impact of future imaging technologies.