Umbilical cord pseudocyst

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 29 Oct 2019

Umbilical cord pseudocysts are a type of cystic lesion occurring in relation to the umbilical cord.

Although the true incidence is not accurately known, they are comparatively much more common than true umbilical cord cysts.

The pseudocyst basically comprises of mucoid degeneration of the Wharton jelly.

There is a recognized association with underlying chromosomal anomalies 2 - particularly trisomy 18 3,4 . It is also commonly associated with omphalocele.

  • anechoic well defined cystic like lesions without internal vascularity
  • they can be variably sized 
  • usually appear towards the fetal insertion or within a free loop of the cord. 
  • usually, resolve by 12 weeks of gestation

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