Abstract: Atota of 10401 newborns were delivered from January 1984 to December 1988.Among them 2784 cases(26.77%) had cord abnormalities,which caused 31 perinatal deaths and were the leading cause of perinatal mortality.True knot and torsion of cord are cause by occasional factors and difficult to prevent.Short cord might be the result of oligohydramnios and decreased fetal movement,and it markedly increases the occurrence of fetal distress and neonatal asphyxia.Fetal death could be caused by cord entanglement with tension especially in relative short cord.As soon as prolapse of cord is diagnosed,delivery should be completed immediately.Intensive monitoring the volume of amniotic fluid and fetal movement,ultrasound scanning fetal neck to look for entangled cord in antenatal care and continuous monitoring of fetal heart rate during labor are helpful for early diagnosis.

Key words: nuchal cord entanglement, prolapse of cord, perinatal death