Vasa Previa

Vasa previa is a complication of pregnancy in which fetal blood vessels cross or run near the internal opening of the uterus. Since these vessels are not protected by the umbilical cord or placental tissue, rupture of the fetal membranes during birth causes them to rupture as well, leading rapidly to fetal death; the term comes from Latin, vasa meaning vessels and previa meaning lying before, since the vessels lie before the fetus in the birth canal and in the way.