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Case Reports
. 2022 Oct 8;10(10):e6441.
doi: 10.1002/ccr3.6441. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Hemangioma of the umbilical cord: A case report on a rare entity

Maissa Ben Thayer  1   2 , Imen Helal  1   2 , Fatma Khanchel  1   2 , Chaouki Mbarki  1   3 , Hajer Bettaieb  1   3 , Ehsen Ben Brahim  1   2 , Raja Jouini  1   2 , Aschraf Chadli Debbiche  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Hemangioma of the umbilical cord: A case report on a rare entity

Maissa Ben Thayer et al. Clin Case Rep. .

Abstract

Several hundred cases of placental hemangiomas have been reported in the literature. However, the umbilical cord is extremely uncommon as a site of occurrence. We present a case of postnatal discovery of giant hemangioma of the umbilical cord (HUM) in a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) positive mother. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of HUM synchronous to a maternal infection with COVID 19. We aim, through this case and a review of the literature, to study the clinicopathological characteristics of this singular entity. Our patient, a 37-year-old woman, presented to the Department Of Obstetrics And Gynecology for respiratory distress and loss of fetal movements. Ultrasound examination concluded to intrauterine fetal desmise. After stabilization of the patient, a cesarean section was performed. A macerated fetus was extracted. Placenta showed a giant mass attached to the cord. It was submitted for pathological examination. Gross examination showed that the umbilical cord was inserted eccentrically with a fusiform dilation. Near its placental end, three cohesive solid angiomatous nodules were noted. Microscopic examination revealed lobules of dilated blood-filled capillaries set in a myxoid stroma. The diagnosis of HUM have been established. HUM arise from endothelial cells of the umbilical vessels. Their etiology, physio-pathology and pathways of tumorigenesis are not yet well defined. Further studies are needed to explore the pathways of tumorigenesis and to determin the implication of COVID-19 in HUM.

Keywords: congenital malformation; coronavirus disease 2019; hemangioma of the umbilical cord; intrauterine fetal death; placenta.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Macroscopic examination: The trivascular umbilical cord is inserted eccentrically on the placenta. It shows a fusiform dilation. Near its placental end, three cohesive solid angiomatous nodules measuring 6.5, 7.7, and 10 cm, respectively, are noted.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Histologic section of the umbilical cord's hemangioma: lobules of small dilated blood‐filled capillaries lined by flattened endothelium set in a myxoid stroma (Hematoxylin and Eosin ×40)
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Histologic section of the umbilical cord's hemangioma: lobules of small dilated blood‐filled capillaries lined by flattened endothelium set in a myxoid stroma (Hematoxylin and Eosin ×100)
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The neoplastic vascular channels show diffuse immunohistochemical staining for CD34 antibody (×10)
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
The neoplastic vascular channels show diffuse immunohistochemical staining for CD34 antibody (×100)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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