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Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Understand the 3 Umbilical Vessels

Published on Thu Apr 28, 2005

Question: What does a "single umbilical artery" mean and which diagnosis code should I use?
 
California Subscriber Answer: If you are testing the fetus to see whether there is a problem, assign 655.8x (Other known or suspected fetal abnormality, not elsewhere classified) until you can rule out a fetal abnormality.
 
The normal umbilical cord has three vessels: two arteries and one vein. When a patient has a single umbilical artery, there is an increased risk that there may be some other problems with the baby. The single umbilical artery by itself does not cause any problems, because the single artery carries the same amount of blood as two smaller arteries.
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