Umbilical artery aneurysm: prenatal identification in three fetuses with trisomy 18.

Aneurysm of the umbilical artery is an extremely rare anomaly of the umbilical cord, with only two cases being documented in the English language literature. We report three cases diagnosed prenatally by ultrasound in the third trimester, all associated with single umbilical artery and multiple structural fetal anomalies. Prenatal karyotyping revealed trisomy 18 in all three cases. Umbilical cord anomalies, although rare, are associated with significant fetal morbidity and mortality. This report identifies umbilical artery aneurysm as an additional prenatal feature of trisomy 18. Copyright 2003 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.