Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T10:47:51.122Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Study on Prognosis of Surviving Cotwin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

K. Yoshida*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokyo Medical College, Japan
K. Matayoshi
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokyo Medical College, Japan
*
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokyo Medical College, 6-7-1 Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, Japan

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

It has been suggested that the surviving cotwin and the mother are seriously affected when intrautrine fetal death of one monozygotic twin occurs. Several authors have reported brain damage in the surviving twin coexisting in utero with dead monozygotic cotwin. Most of such instances are monochorionic and show vascular communication between paired twins in the placenta. In a total of 133 pairs of monochorionic twins, death of one twin during pregnancy occurred in 33 cases (24.8%). Of 33 surviving twins, 8 babies suffered from porencephaly, cerebral palsy and other abnormalities. More unfavorable prognosis was recognized when a cotwin died in the latter half of pregnancy, while when a monozygotic cotwin died in the early stage of pregnancy, the surviving twin uneventfully grew to term in most cases.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1990

References

REFERENCES

1.D'Alton, ME, Newton, ER, Cetrulo, CL (1984): Intrauterine fetal demise in multiple gestation. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 33:43–39.Google ScholarPubMed
2.Mannino, FL, Jones, KL, Benirschke, K (1977): Congenital skin defect and fetus papayraceus. J Pediat 91:559564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Melnik, M (1977): Brain damage in survivor after in utero-death of monozygous co-twin. Lancet 2:1287,Google Scholar
4.Strauss, F, Benirschke, K, Driscoll, SG (1967): The transfusion syndorme In: Placenta. New York: Springer-Verlag, pp 207–123.Google Scholar
5.Szymonowicz, W, Preston, H, Yu, VYH (1986): The surviving monozygotic twin. Arch Dis Child 61:454458.Google Scholar
6.Yoshida, K, Soma, H (1986): Outcome of the surviving cotwin of a fetus papyraceus or of a dead fetus. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 35:9198.Google Scholar