Coarctation of the umbilical cord: a cause of intrauterine fetal death.

This article presents 16 cases of coarctation of the umbilical cord, resulting in fetal death in utero in pregnant women of more than 6 months' gestation. Coarctation of the umbilical cord can occur in any phase of the gestational period and is not related to parity. The stricture of the cord is usually accompanied by torsion and characterized by a fibrosis of the Wharton's jelly and a thickening of the vascular walls which obstructs the fetoplacental circulation, leading to anoxia and fetal death. Although this entity must occur frequently, it is not often reported by obstetricians because the umbilical cord is not carefully examined in all cases of stillbirth.