Una aproximación desde la física a las consecuencias patológicas de la longitud excesiva del cordón umbilical

Introduction: Despite its role of transporting all the things that a foetus needs to grow and survive, the umbilical cord is still poorly understood. All of its characteristics are relevant, and paramount among them is its length. When abnormal, length is associated with poor neurological prognosis and foetal demise. Materials and methods: Based on a review of physics principles, formulae were proposed in an attempt to explain the importance of umbilical cord length on the basis of its haemodynamic repercussions. Results: Foetal circulation was analysed from the heart to the placental villous capillaries and physics formulae were used to describe the importance of umbilical cord length in foetal perfusion. Conclusions: Clinical complications known to be associated with excess umbilical cord length were analysed from the physics perspective, and formulae were established for use with real data derived from foetal Doppler scans and umbilical cord measurements.