Evidence - based pathology: umbilical cord coiling - Introduction

A Special Author Introduction
Pathology
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By T. Y. Khong

The umbilical cord, containing as it does two arteries and a vein, is the supply line that connects the placenta to the fetus. The blood vessels are arranged in a helical fashion resulting in twisting or coiling of the umbilical cord. Both undercoiled and overcoiled cords have been found to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. A coiling index has been devised to quantitate the degree of coiling. This is calculated by counting the number of complete coils of the vessels and dividing that by the length of the cord.

Just as automated pathology test results have variance and uncertainty, this review cautions the reader about the accepting the umbilical cord index at face value. This is important because critical analysis of test results to ensure reproducibility can provide the evidence to link a pathology diagnosis with clinical outcome. Possible sources of errors or biological variances that can affect calculating the coiling index are highlighted and discussed in the article. The author concludes by suggesting that while measuring is frequently performed in anatomical pathology, it should be done critically to help with delivering an evidence-based diagnosis.

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This article was originally published in Pathology, to read more research in this field please visit: www.rcpa-pathologyjournal.com