Umbilical cord hematoma resulting in intrauterine fetal demise. A case report.

A 34-week male fetus experienced intrauterine death due to an umbilical cord hematoma. Rupture of the hematoma occurred at the time of delivery, but compression of the cord vessels and fetal blood loss into the hematoma, rather than the rupture itself, were the cause of death. Membranes had been ruptured for several days prior to the fetal demise, and both chorioamnionitis and funisitis were present. Inflammation of the umbilical cord, as well as a defect in the elastin and smooth muscle components of the vein, may have predisposed the cord to development of the hematoma.