Five too many! A Case of Incidentally Detected Five Vessel Umbilical Cord Associated with Placental Chorangiosis

Abstract

Supernumery vessels are defined as presence of four or more vessels present within the umbilical cord. This condition may often accompany a poor pregnancy outcome and presence of congenital anomalies. They may be present in healthy fetuses. Chorangiosis is an adaptive response to in-utero hypoxia and its presence signifies better pregnancy outcomes. Abnormalities that lead to multiple cord vessels are rare with the majority of reported cases highlighting four vessels due to a persistent right umbilical vein. Here, we report a case of a 5-vessel umbilical cord associated with chorangiosis of placenta, detected incidentally after birth.