title: Relationship between sonographic umbilical cord size and gestational age among pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Common fetal parameters for gestational age (GA) estimation have pitfalls especially in advanced pregnancy and pregnancy complicated by fetal structural anomaly.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between umbilical cord size and gestational age of the fetus.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sonographic cross sectional study involving 300 pregnant women with GA between 14 weeks to 40 weeks was done in Enugu, Nigeria. Gestational ages were first estimated by use of Naegele's formula for GA estimation based on the date of onset of each subject's last menstrual period. Fetal parameters such as biparietal diameter, femur length, head circumference and abdominal circumference were measured and also used to estimate GA. Umbilical cord diameters were measured and used to compute the umbilical cord cross-sectional area.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean umbilical cord diameter and cross-sectional area were 14.5mm ± 7.2mm and 201.6mm ± 139.5mm(2) respectively. Umbilical cord growth rate of 1.0mm/week was noted between the 14(th) and 35(th) week of pregnancy. There were significant correlations (p < 0.001) between umbilical cord size and other fetal parameters for GA estimation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Umbilical cord size had strong linear relationship with common fetal GA estimation parameters and could be used to compliment these parameters for GA estimation.
authors.affiliation: University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Medical Radiography and Radiological Sciences.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eze
authors.affiliation: University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Radiation Medicine.
authors.forename: Mabel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ugwuja
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Radiation Biology, Radiotherapy, Radiodiagnosis and Radiography.
authors.forename: Cletus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eze
authors.affiliation: University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku-Ozalla,, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ugwu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.
authors.forename: Kennedy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Agwuna
authors.affiliation: Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. Radiation Medicine.
authors.lastname: Ituk-Ozalla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D009549:Nigeria; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Nigeria; Sonography; gestational age; umbilical cord size