Short umbilical cord: its origin and relevance.

A short umbilical cord was found in newborns for whom there was evidence of early intrauterine constraint and in those with gross structural or functional limb defects that limited intrauterine movement. These findings were interpreted as showing that umbilical cord growth occurs in response to tensile forces relating to intrauterine space availability and fetal movement during early development. Thus, the finding of a short umbilical cord may indicate diminished fetal movement from either early intrauterine constraint or fetal limb dysfunction.