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An urachus is a remnant of allantois in embryo development constituting a connection between the dome of the bladder and umbilicus. It develops on day 16 after conception and closes during the pregnancy to form the median umbilical ligament. Patent urachus results from a failure in closing its lumen in 10-12 gestational weeks. This anomaly occurs in 1-2 babies in 100,000 births. We present the case of patent urachus. In 20 gestational weeks, a dilatation of the umbilical cord with an anechoic mass with a transverse dimension of 19 x 12 mm starting from the fetal insertion and length of 30 cm was seen on ultrasound without any other fetal and placental disorders. Histology showed cystic edema. Prenatal diagnosis of patent urachus can be difficult because this pathology may be mistaken with other, more dangerous causes of cord cysts; thus, the occurrence of cord cysts should be closely monitored.

Objective: Twin pregnancies are associated with higher neonatal mortality and morbidity. Growth discordance and monochorionicity are among the factors that worsen the course of pregnancy. The study aimed to assess neonatal conditions and mortality in relation to growth type and chorionicity. Materials and methods: Data from 820 pregnant women with twin pregnancies and their 1640 newborns were analyzed. The Apgar score and umbilical artery blood pH, as well as the rate of complications, were compared between dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) and monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins with symmetric and discordant growth. The Student's t-test and the Pearson chi-square test were used for comparisons. Results: There were 576 (70.2%) DCDA pregnancies, including 421 (73.1%) with symmetric growth and 155 (26.9%) with discordant growth, and 244 (29.8%) MCDA pregnancies, including 110 (45.1%) with symmetric growth and 134 (54.9%) with discordant growth. A significantly greater percentage of twins with discordant growth occurred in women older than 34 years than in those that were younger. An Apgar score of ≤7 was significantly more common among MCDA discordant twins, while an arterial umbilical blood pH of

Background Ultrasound is a routine procedure performed during pregnancy to monitor the status of the human fetus, including the development of the digestive tract. The aim of this publication was to determine the shape of the fetal sigmoid colon mesentery during the first and second trimester of pregnancy by means of ultrasound. Methods The study was performed in 45 pregnant women (age: 36.4 years on average, range 25–45) during a routine ultrasound examination. The fetuses were between 12 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. The shape of the fetal sigmoid colon mesentery was analyzed. Results We visualized the triangular shape of the mesentery in all 45 cases. A prevalence of scalene or isosceles acute triangles was found in both trimesters. At the 12−13 weeks we observed 5 different forms of mesenteric triangles – the scalene or isosceles acute triangles appeared at 33.3% and 28.6%, respectively. The obtuse scalene was present in 23.8 %. In the 2nd trimester (20−22 weeks) 4 types were found, among them 37.5 % acute scalene and 33.3 % acute isosceles. Conclusions The fetal sigmoid colon mesentery can be visualized from the 12th week of pregnancy. The triangular shape of the sigmoid colon mesentery is easy to follow during routine ultrasound examinations.

Introduction Ultrasound examinations during pregnancy are routine procedures used to detect fetal congenital malformations. Ultrasound monitoring of sigmoid colon mesenterial development could be useful for early detection of subjects at risk of sigmoid colon volvulus. Objective The aim of our paper was to assess the sigmoid colon length, and sigmoid colon mesentery width and height in the late fetal period, and, using the results, to estimate the surface area of the mesocolon (in mm2) in living fetuses. Moreover, we attempted to repeat some of these measurements in living fetuses using ultrasound imaging. Methods The study was carried out on 209 formalin fixed human fetuses (100 female and 109 male) aged from 4th to 7th gestational months (102–203 days), with a crown-rump length of 132–342 mm. The length of the sigmoid colon, as well as the height and width of its mesentery were measured. The surface area of the mesocolon was estimated. Correction for formalin induced shrinkage was applied. Pilot ultrasound examinations of live fetuses were performed. Results Mean values of sigmoid colon length, mesenteric width and height (formalin fixed fetuses) for respective gestational ages were: month 4: 21.46 ± 6.7 mm, 6.80 ± 2.1 mm, 5.5 ± 1.49 mm; month 5: 27.32 ± 1.2 mm, 7.62 ± 2.01 mm, 7.33 ± 2.17 mm; month 6: 47.56 ± 9.57 mm, 11.68 ± 3.8 mm, 10.3 ± 3.05 mm; month 7: 56.92 ± 17.48 mm. 15.32 ± 8 mm, 12.81 ± 3.16 mm. The surface area ranges of the sigmoid colon mesentery found for respective gestational months (intrauterine fetuses) were as follows: month 4: 33.24–51.95 mm2; month 5: 49.63–77.6 mm2; month 6: 106.89–167.15 mm2 and month 7: 145.69–272.53 mm2. Conclusion The surface area of the sigmoid colon mesentery can be used as a simple parameter applied in fetal ultrasonographic evaluation. The development of the sigmoid colon accelerates in the 6th gestational month, and decelerates in the 7th gestational month. The sigmoid colon mesentery width was larger than its height between the 4th and 7th gestational months.

The aim of the study was to assess the self-reported cervical cancer screening rate among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and patient attitude towards human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination. A self-designed survey was conducted in hospitalized IBD patients. The survey comprised demographic data, questions regarding cervical smear test frequency and vaccinations recommended for an IBD patient. Randomly, patients completed the survey with a physician present to determine question comprehension. In order to provide test-retest reliability a group of 10 patients completed it twice. Survey data from 150 IBD patients (mean age: 36 years, SD ± 13; mean IBD duration: 10 years, SD ± 6.5) were analyzed. Fifteen percent of the patients reported irregular cervical testing and 15% do not remember when having had a previous cervical testing performed. Only 69% of the patients undergo testing regularly; 30% annually, 32% every 2-3 years; 7% every 5 years. The mean age of patients tested regularly was 22 years, vs. 32 years tested irregularly (p

Objectives To evaluate the differences in placental vascular indices and placental volume between normal and IUGR pregnancies. Methods A prospective study was conducted on a group of 100 normal and 20 IUGR pregnancies between 22 and 42 weeks of gestation. For the purpose of evaluation of placental volume and placental vascular indices, we applied 3D Power Doppler and VOCAL technique. Only patients with entirely visualized placenta were included in the study. Results A comparative analysis of vascularization index (VI), vascularization flow index (VFI), flow index (FI), and placental volume (PV) revealed statistically significant differences between normal and IUGR pregnancies. In normal pregnancies, the volume of the placenta was on average 92.42 cm3 larger than in pregnancies complicated by IUGR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the clinical usefulness of placental vascular indices and placental volume for discriminating IUGR and normal pregnancies. It was concluded that the VI, VFI, PV, FI parameters are the best discriminants, with the cut-off values of 5.30, 2.30, 199, and 36.0, respectively. Conclusions The quantitative assessment of placental vasculature and placental volume by means of 3D Power Doppler and VOCAL technique is an adjunctive modality for differentiation between normal and IUGR pregnancies. Our findings further suggest that the vascularization index (VI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) are the best parameters with the most favorable discriminating potential for proper identification of IUGR pregnancies.

Objectives: The study aimed at determining whether there exists a correlation between the cervical cohesion parameters assessed in the elastography and the length of the cervix. Material and methods: Assessment of cervical cohesion parameters with the use of real-time sonoelastography was performed on 59 patients between 28 and 39 weeks of gestation. Results: The analysis showed that there exists a statistically significant (p=0.033) correlation between the cervical length and the elasticity of the front cervical labium (strain ratio A). Correlation coefficient (r) stood at (-) 0.28. Conclusions: 1. There exists a negative correlation between the condition on the front cervical labium in elastographic imaging and the length of the cervical canal in USG imaging. 2. Elastography of the uterine cervix may be helpful in assessing the risk of premature labour or cervical insufficiency. 3. There is a need to perform a study on a larger group of patients in order to determine whether elastography may find its place among routine obstetric diagnostic methods.