Influence of Wall-lumen Ratio of Umbilical Arteries on the Stress Distribution in Wharton's Jelly

The umbilical cord is the link between fetus and the placenta. It consists of one vein and two arteries, encased inside Wharton's jelly. In this study, the influence of morphological parameters of umbilical arteries, namely the wall-lumen ratio and lumen diameter, on the stress distribution in Wharton's jelly is analyzed using a 3D finite element model. The lumen diameter of the arteries is varied from 0.4 mm to 2.0 mm in steps of 0.4 mm. The variation of average and maximum effective stresses in the Wharton's jelly with wall-lumen ratio is analyzed. Further, differences in stresses between the placental and fetal ends of umbilical cord are analyzed. Results show that, the average and maximum effective stresses at both ends of the umbilical cord vary nonlinearly with the wall-lumen ratio. For all the considered lumen diameters, the average effective stress is found to decrease with an increase in wall-lumen ratio at both the ends. An increase in the lumen diameter is found to be associated with a nonlinear decrease in average stress ratios. Clinical Relevance - The results of this study could be useful for the early diagnosis of fetal abnormalities and might be helpful to develop better treatment strategies.