Abstract
The length of the umbilical cord is an important data item, and little is known about the effects of time and fixation on measurement. Such a change has implications for the diagnosis of a long and short cord. This study was conducted to examine the effects of time and formalin fixation on cord length in a routine practice setting. We measured 90 cords from singleton term pregnancies within 5 minutes of delivery, again in the fresh state at 1 to 2 hours, and again after 24 to 48 hours of formalin fixation. The mean cord length was 536.7 mm at delivery. Mean cord shortening was 17.6 mm (3% reduction in length) between delivery and measurement at 1 to 2 hours, and 62.2 mm (12% reduction) between delivery and measurement after 24 to 48 hours fixation. Both values were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Studies on cord length should include data on time of measurement and fixation status.
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