Abstract

Dr. Ansam Layth Abdulhameed* and Dr. Rozhan Yassin Khalil

ABSTRACT

Background: The nuchal cord is described as the umbilical cord around the fetal neck. It is classified as simple or multiple, loose or tight with the compression of the fetal neck. The term nuchal cord represents an umbilical cord that passes 360 degrees around the fetal neck. Objective: To find out perinatal outcomes in cases of labour of babies with nuchal cord and compared with other cases without nuchal cord. Patient and Methods: The prospective case-control study was conducted in maternity teaching hospital centre in Sulaimani / Kurdistan Region of Iraq, from June 2018 to April 2019. Cases of study divided into two groups. First group comprised of women in whom nuchal cord was present at the time of delivery they were labelled as cases. Second group was a control group composed of women in whom nuchal cord was absent at the time of delivery. Results: This study included (200) patients, (100) women with nuchal cord in labour. (59%) of the cases of nuchal cord in age group (20-29) years, (40%) of them were primigravida, delivery modes for women with nuchal cord were mainly normal vaginal delivery (76%) and cesarean section (24%). Causes of caesarean section were meconium stain liquor (33.3%), fetal distress (29.2%). (50%) of nuchal cord more than (60) centimetre in length, (74%) of neonate with low apgar score at first minute but (3%) of neonate have low apgar score after five minutes, (19%) of neonate were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit and fetal stillbirth was observed for only one neonate with nuchal cord, but no observed any early neonatal death. The results were compared with a normal umbilical cord cases during labour. Conclusion: Nuchal cord occurs mainly in primigravida between (20-29) years age group. A length of cord is highly significant relation with nuchal cord. Nuchal cord lead to increase meconium stain liquor and associated with increase probability of operative delivery and associated with low apgar score of neonate at first minute and increased admition to neonatal intensive care unit. This suggests increase neonatal morbidity but not associated with neonatal mortality.