Intrauterine death of one twin, with rescue of the other, in twin-twin transfusion syndrome

Fetoscopic demonstration of feto-fetal hemorrhage before actual demise of a monochorionic twin, successful antenatal treatment, and narrative review of the literature

Feto-fetal hemorrhage (FFH) through placental vascular anastomoses is believed to be responsible for the death or damage of a "second twin" after the demise of a "first twin (co-twin)" in monochorionic twin pregnancies. However, the timing of FFH has been difficult to determine. The resulting anemia in the surviving twin can be suspected by the finding of an elevated middle cerebral artery peak-systolic velocity (MCA-PSV), but this elevation may lag for at least 4 h after the demise of the first twin. Knowledge of the timing of FFH may have important clinical implications, as it may dictate if and when attempts to prevent death or damage to the second twin by delivery or intrauterine fetal transfusion would be warranted. We present a case that supports the notion that FFH occurs before the actual demise of the first twin. A review of the literature was also conducted.

Maternal Perception of Decreased Fetal Movement in One Twin: A Clue Leading to the Early Detection of Absent Variability due to Acute Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome

Decreased fetal movement (DFM) perceived by pregnant women sometimes indicates imminent fetal jeopardy. It is unknown whether this also holds true for twin pregnancy. A 27-year-old primiparous woman with monochorionic diamniotic (MD) pregnancy had a slight difference of amniotic fluid volume at 31(2/7) weeks of gestation. DFM only in one twin at 31(4/7) weeks of gestation prompted her to receive urgent consultation. Since cardiotocogram indicated absent variability of one twin, we performed Cesarean section. Male infants weighing 2060 g and 1578 g were delivered; hemoglobin was 20.7 versus 10.8 g/dL, respectively; cardiothoracic ratio was 70% versus 44%, respectively, indicating acute twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). The recipient infant had heart failure, which was still observed at 1 month postpartum. In conclusion, maternal perception of DFM indicated imminent fetal death or jeopardy caused by acute TTTS, suggesting that education regarding DFM for women with twin pregnancy may be clinically important.

Clinical dilemma in triplet pregnancy: when is it appropriate to intervene for a jeopardized fetus?

OBJECTIVE

To determine gestational age-specific risks of intervening to "rescue" a compromised fetus in triplet pregnancies.

STUDY DESIGN

We analyzed retrospectively triplet pregnancies managed at New England Medical Center (July 1992-May 2000; n=97 pregnancies). For each week in gestation, we compared the chance of at least one of three infants developing complications of prematurity in Scenario A (delivery at that gestation to rescue the jeopardized fetus) with the chance of at least one of two infants from Scenario B (allowing the jeopardized fetus to die in utero to prolong pregnancy) developing that complication later in gestation.

RESULTS

We observed a decreased risk of at least one infant developing a specific complication in Scenario B than in Scenario A for all complications studied.

CONCLUSIONS

Comparison of triplet outcomes with the two surviving older newborns identifies important changes in risk between 25 and 32 weeks. These data enable physicians and parents to weigh acceptable risks with benefits.