Umbilical cord prolapse

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Umbilical cord prolapse
Cord prolapse, depicted by W.Smellie, 1792
Classification and external resources
Specialty pediatrics
ICD-10 O69.0, P02.4
ICD-9-CM 663.0, 762.4
DiseasesDB 13522
eMedicine med/3276

Umbilical cord prolapse occurs when the umbilical cord comes out of the uterus with or before the presenting part of the fetus. It is a relatively rare condition and occurs in fewer than 1% of pregnancies. Cord prolapse is more common in women who have had rupture of their amniotic sac. Other risk factors include maternal or fetal factors that prevent the fetus from occupying a normal position in the maternal pelvis, such as abnormal fetal lie, too much amniotic fluid, or a premature or small fetus. The concern with cord prolapse is that pressure on the cord from the fetus will cause cord compression that compromises blood flow to the fetus. Whenever there is a sudden decrease in fetal heart rate or abnormal fetal heart tracing, umbilical cord prolapse should be considered. Due to the possibility for fetal death and other complications, umbilical cord prolapse is considered an obstetric emergency during pregnancy or labor. Current management guidelines focus on quick delivery, which usually entails a cesarean section. With appropriate management, the majority of cases have good neonatal outcomes.


There are three types of umbilical prolapse that can occur:[1]

  • overt umbilical cord prolapse: descent of the umbilical cord past the presenting fetal part. In this case, the cord is through the cervix and into or beyond the vagina. Overt umbilical cord prolapse requires rupture of membranes. This is the most common type of cord prolapse.
  • occult umbilical prolapse: descent of the umbilical cord alongside the presenting fetal part, but has not advanced past the presenting fetal part. Occult umbilical prolapse can occur with both intact or ruptured membranes.
  • funic (cord) presentation: presence of the umbilical cord between the presenting fetal part and fetal membranes. In this case, the cord has not passed the opening of the cervix. In funic presentation, the membranes are not yet ruptured.

Signs and symptoms[edit]

The first sign of umbilical cord prolapse is usually a sudden decrease in fetal heart rate that is severe and does not immediately resolve. On a fetal heart tracing, this would usually look like moderate to severe variable decelerations.[2] Occasionally, the cord can be seen or felt on vaginal examination, particularly with overt cord prolapse.

Risk factors[edit]

Risk factors that are associated with umbilical cord prolapse tend to make it difficult for the fetus from appropriately engaging and filling the maternal pelvis or are related to abnormalities of the umbilical cord. The two major categories of risk factors are spontaneous and iatrogenic, or those that result from medical intervention.


Umbilical cord prolapse should always be considered a possibility when there is a sudden decrease in fetal heart rate or variable decelerations, particularly after the rupture of membranes. With overt prolapses, the diagnosis can be confirmed if the cord can be palpated on vaginal examination. Without overt prolapse, the diagnosis can only be confirmed after a cesarean section, though even then it will not always be evident at time of procedure.[1]


The gold standard for treatment of umbilical cord prolapse in the setting of a viable pregnancy typically involves immediate delivery by the quickest and safest route possible. This usually requires cesarean section, especially if the woman is in early labor. Occasionally, vaginal delivery will be attempted if clinical judgment determines that is a safer or quicker method.[1]

Other interventions during management of cord prolapse are typically used to decrease the chance of complications while preparations for delivery are being made. These interventions are focused on reducing pressure on the cord to prevent fetal complications from cord compression. The following maneuvers are among those used in clinical practice:

If the mother is far from delivery, funic reduction (manually placing the cord back into the uterine cavity) has been attempted,[9] with successful cases reported.[10]


The primary concern with umbilical cord prolapse is inadequate blood supply, and thus oxygen, to the fetus if the cord becomes compressed. The cord can become compressed either due to mechanical pressure (usually from the presenting fetal part) or from sudden contraction of the vessels due to decreased temperatures in the vagina in comparison to the uterus.[1] This can lead to death of the fetus or other complications.

Historically, the rate of fetal death in the setting of cord prolapse has been as high 40%.[11] However, these estimates occurred in the context of home or births outside of the hospital. When considering cord prolapses that have occurred in inpatient labor and delivery settings, the rate drops to as low as 0-3%,[1] though the mortality rate remains higher than for fetuses without cord prolapse. The reduction in mortality for hospital births is likely due to the ready availability of immediate cesarean section.

Many other fetal outcomes have been studied, including Apgar score (a quick assessment of a newborn's health status) at 5 minutes and length of hospitalization after delivery. While both measures are worse for newborns delivered after cord prolapse,[3] it is unclear what effect this has in the long-term. Relatively large studies that have tried to quantify long-term effects of cord prolapse on children found that less than 1% (1 in 120 studied) suffered a major neurologic handicap,[5] and less than 1% (110 in 16,675) had diagnosed cerebral palsy.[12]


The incidence of umbilical cord prolapse ranges from 0.1-0.6% of all pregnancies.[1][11] This rate has remained stable over time. A recent study estimates 77% of cord prolapses occur in singleton pregnancies, or those where there is only one fetus. In twin pregnancies, cord prolapses occur more frequently in the second twin to be delivered, with 9% in the first twin and 14% in the second twin.[5]


  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lin, MG (April 2006). "Umbilical cord prolapse.". Obstetrical & gynecological survey. 61 (4): 269–77. PMID 16551378. doi:10.1097/01.ogx.0000208802.20908.c6. 
  2. ^ Tejani, NA; Mann, LI; Sanghavi, M; Bhakthavathsalan, A; Weiss, RR (February 1977). "The association of umbilical cord complications and variable decelerations with acid-base findings.". Obstetrics and gynecology. 49 (2): 159–62. PMID 13333. 
  3. ^ a b c d Kahana, B; Sheiner, E; Levy, A; Lazer, S; Mazor, M (February 2004). "Umbilical cord prolapse and perinatal outcomes.". International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. 84 (2): 127–32. PMID 14871514. doi:10.1016/s0020-7292(03)00333-3. 
  4. ^ a b Critchlow, CW; Leet, TL; Benedetti, TJ; Daling, JR (February 1994). "Risk factors and infant outcomes associated with umbilical cord prolapse: a population-based case-control study among births in Washington State.". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 170 (2): 613–8. PMID 8116723. doi:10.1016/s0002-9378(94)70238-1. 
  5. ^ a b c d Murphy, DJ; MacKenzie, IZ (October 1995). "The mortality and morbidity associated with umbilical cord prolapse.". British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology. 102 (10): 826–30. PMID 7547741. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.1995.tb10850.x. 
  6. ^ a b c Usta, IM; Mercer, BM; Sibai, BM (1999). "Current obstetrical practice and umbilical cord prolapse.". American journal of perinatology. 16 (9): 479–84. PMID 10774764. doi:10.1055/s-1999-6809. 
  7. ^ Duval, C; Lemoine, JP; Ba, S; Demory, JE (March 1987). "[Prolapse of the umbilical cord. 79 cases].". Revue francaise de gynecologie et d'obstetrique. 82 (3): 163–7. PMID 3589354. 
  8. ^ Katz, Z; Shoham, Z; Lancet, M; Blickstein, I; Mogilner, BM; Zalel, Y (August 1988). "Management of labor with umbilical cord prolapse: a 5-year study.". Obstetrics and gynecology. 72 (2): 278–81. PMID 3393364. 
  9. ^ al.], ed. by Kate Grady ... [et (2007). Managing obstetric emergencies and trauma : the MOET course manual. (2nd ed.). London: RCOG Press. ISBN 978-1904752-219. 
  10. ^ Barrett, JM (September 1991). "Funic reduction for the management of umbilical cord prolapse.". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 165 (3): 654–7. PMID 1892193. doi:10.1016/0002-9378(91)90303-9. 
  11. ^ a b Koonings, PP; Paul, RH; Campbell, K (July 1990). "Umbilical cord prolapse. A contemporary look.". The Journal of reproductive medicine. 35 (7): 690–2. PMID 2376856. 
  12. ^ Gilbert, WM; Jacoby, BN; Xing, G; Danielsen, B; Smith, LH (October 2010). "Adverse obstetric events are associated with significant risk of cerebral palsy.". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 203 (4): 328.e1–5. PMC 2947602Freely accessible. PMID 20598283. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2010.05.013.