Background: (1) The aim of this article is to describe the physiopathology underlying umbilical cord diseases and their relationship with obstetric and perinatal outcomes. (2) Methods: Multicenter case series of umbilical cord diseases with illustrations from contributing institutions are presented. (3) Results: Clinical presentations of prenatal ultrasound findings, clinical prenatal features and postnatal outcomes are described. (4) Conclusions: Analysis of our series presents and discusses how umbilical cord diseases are associated with a wide variety of obstetric complications leading to a higher risk of poor perinatal outcomes in pregnancies. Knowing the physiopathology, prenatal clinical presentations and outcomes related to umbilical diseases allow for better prenatal counseling and management to potentially avoid severe obstetric and perinatal complications.
The number of pregnancies achieved using in vitro fertilization (IVF) is rapidly increasing around the world. The chance of obtaining a successful pregnancy is also significantly improved due to technological advances and improvement in infertility treatment. Despite this success, there is evidence that pregnancy conceived by IVF has an increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcome mainly represented by the development of hypertensive diseases, pre-eclampsia, and fetal growth restriction. Although different cofactors may play a role in the genesis of these diseases, the development of the placenta has a pivotal function in determining pregnancy outcomes. Advances in ultrasound technology already allows for evaluation in the first trimester, the impedance to flow in the uterine artery, and the placental volume using Doppler and three-dimensional techniques. This review article aims to describe the modification occurring in placental volume and hemodynamics after IVF and to summarize the differences present according to the type of IVF (fresh vs. frozen-thawed embryos).