Absence of Wharton's jelly

Absence of Wharton's jelly is a rare entity in which the umbilical cord vessels are partially or completely separated from the umbilical cord. It is associated with important fetal morbidity and mortality. Since its first report in 1961, only 12 cases have been documented to date. We present two cases of this entity. The first one occurred in a 21 -year -old primigesta whose ultrasound study showed a nuchal cord and oligohydramnios. A 2,620 g male neonate was born and died a few hours later. The second case was in a 31 -year -old multigesta with a history of HIV positivity and abortion. She presented with a 375 g male fetus with left renal agenesis and abdominal and cerebral hemorrhage. In these cases, a 9 cm and 7.8 cm segment of umbilical artery was found, respectively, separated from the umbilical cord.