Norbert Szunyogh, Pavol Žúbor, Tibor Matuška, Anton Čunderlík, Jozef Višňovský
A dilated umbilical vein can most often be observed in the umbilical cord and in the intraabdominal extrahepatic course of the vein. This entity is only rarely diagnosed in the obstetrical practice, and presents the clinician with a diagnostic-therapeutic problem, most often resulting in patient referral to a more specialized facility. It is advised that the patient undergo a targeted fetal echocardiography and Doppler sonography in order to exclude associated anomalies of the fetal cardiovascular system (eventually other fetal anomalies), thus achieving the most optimal perinatal outcome. The aim of our work was to provide sufficient theoretical background about the pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis of this poorly known disease along with appropriate clinical management.