• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.9
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• pp.854-857
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• 2003

Purpose : It is known that single umbilical artery is frequently associated with gastrointestinal or urogenital anomaly, however, routine renal sonography has been debated in healthy neonate with isolated single umbilical artery. This study is designed to determine the usefulness of routine renal sonography in apparently healthy infants with an isolated single umbilical artery. Methods : Thirty healthy neonates with a single umbilical artery without a major anomaly from January 1995 to July 2002 were enrolled. The authors investigated the clinical background of babies and their mothers after renal sonography after 72 hours of age. When the abnormalities were found at the first renal sonography, the severity of hydronephrosis and degree of obstruction and renal function were analyzed by follow up renal sonography, voiding cystourethrography(VCUG) and technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid(DMSA) scan or technetium-99m-mercaptoacetyl-triglycerine (MAG3) scan. Results : Among the 30 healthy patients with isolated single umbilical artery, five patients(16.7%) showed abnormalities on first renal sonography with one major(3.3%) and four(13.4%) minor renal anomaly(minimal or mild hydroneohrosis). One major renal anomaly(severe hydronephrosis) showed severe decreased renal function on MAG3 scan without reflux, and the other four minor regressed spontaneously on follow up study. Conclusion : The value of routine early renal sonograpy for detecting renal anomaly in healthy infants with an isolated single umbilical artery remained unclear because most of the anomalies would regress spontaneously in the follow up study.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.557-560
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• 2005

Congenital laryngeal atresia is a rare cause of airway obstruction that is almost always lethal within a few minutes after birth. Therefore congenital laryngeal atresia should be diagnosed in the prenatal period. If not, it should be considered in newborn infant with life-threatening symptoms at birth such as cyanosis and dyspnea that need emergent procedures like a tracheotomy. We report a case of congenital laryngeal atresia with single umbilical artery diagnosed in a one-day-old neonate who required a tracheotomy and ventilator care after intubation failure.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.655-660
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• 2009

Purpose : To compare birth weight between infants with a single umbilical artery (SUA) and normal infants, investigate the associated anomalies of infants with SUA and isolated SUA (no abnormality of external appearance on birth, except SUA), and determine the prognosis of infants with isolated SUA. Methods : Live-born infants with SUA (n=59) detected by physical examination from among 15,193 live births in seven university hospitals in Korea between January 1, 2004, to August 1, 2007, were reviewed retrospectively, with 236 normal infants serving as the control group. Results : A statistical difference was observed between the groups in birth weight and in vitro fertilization. The incidence of infants with SUA was 0.37%. Congenital malformations were observed in 21 infants with cardiovascular (n=15, 25.4%), gastrointestinal (n=2, 3.4%), genitourinary (n=9, 15.3%), neuromusculoskeletal (n=6, 10.2%), central nervous system (n=1, 1.7%), chromosomal (n=1, 1.7%), and other (n=3, 5.1%) abnormalities. There were 49 (83.1%) infants with isolated SUA in this study population; among them, the associated congenital malformations were cardiovascular (n=6, 12.2%) and genitourinary (n=6, 12.2%) abnormalities. Two infants with cyanotic heart disease were operated and four infants with acyanotic heart disease showed improvements without any treatment. Six infants with genitourinary abnormalities on renal ultrasound had mild hydronephrosis without further consequences. Conclusion : The incidence of structural abnormalities in the cardiovascular and genitourinary systems is high and the genitourinary anomalies associated with isolated SUA have relatively good prognosis.