View clinical trials related to Fetofetal Transfusion.
Filter by:Twin pregnancies are at an increased risk of early delivery. One of the reasons for this may be due to a weakened neck of the womb (cervix). There are 2 main ways to manage a weakened cervix in pregnancy. One option is to do nothing (conservative approach). The other is to strengthen the cervix with a stitch (cerclage) to provide extra support. There is no good quality convincing evidence to suggest which of these has better outcomes for mum and babies in twin pregnancies. This trial aims to determine whether securing the weakened cervix with a cerclage will help to prolong the pregnancy and prevent early delivery. Babies who are born early experience multiple complications including lung, brain and learning difficulties. Therefore, the study will also aim to determine whether prolonging the pregnancy by inserting the cerclage reduces the number of babies affected by these problems. In order to carry out a fair study we aim to perform what is known as a randomised controlled trial. We will include in the trial two major groups: (1) women pregnant with twins, who present with a weakened cervix and no signs of infection between 14 and 26 weeks of pregnancy. This will be diagnosed on an internal examination or ultrasound scan, and (2) women pregnant with identical twins complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) treated by Laser surgery between 16 and 26 weeks in whom a short cervix (<15mm) is identified. TTTS is rare but potentially devastating condition which occurs in about 10-15% of identical twin pregnancies. If left untreated, 80-90% of these babies will die. Overall, best first-line treatment of TTTS is laser surgery. Cervical length is a strong predictor of preterm delivery in these pregnancies. Participants will be allocated randomly into the intervention (cerclage) or control (conservative) group. The procedure to insert the cerclage will be performed under an anaesthetic to minimise discomfort and you will be admitted for 2-3 days following the operation to ensure there are no complications or signs of labour. Women in both groups will be followed up in the same manner until they deliver and the pregnancy outcomes will be compared between the 2 groups to determine which management option is best.
Each year world-wide, 2.5 million fetuses die unexpectedly in the last half of pregnancy, 25,000 in the United States, making fetal demise ten-times more common than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This study will apply a novel type of non-invasive monitoring, called fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) used thus far to successfully evaluate fetal arrhythmias, in order to discover potential hidden electrophysiologic abnormalities that could lead to fetal demise in five high-risk pregnancy conditions associated with fetal demise.
Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a complication affecting 10-15% of monochorionic, diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancies. Unevenly distributed blood flow across a shared placental circulation results in a volume-restricted donor twin and a volume-overloaded recipient twin, and TTTS has high perinatal morbidity and mortality without treatment. Differential donor and recipient findings in TTTS can be observed upon ultrasound evaluation. TTTS is classified according to the Quintero staging system, which evaluates amniotic fluid volumes, fetal bladders, Doppler study of the umbilical artery and ductus venosus, and for the presence of hydrops or death. However, due to seemingly complex and variable disease pathophysiology, the Quintero system cannot predict outcomes on a case-by-case basis. Prior studies have associated fetal renal artery Doppler ultrasound measurements with amniotic fluid volume in singleton pregnancies. In fetuses with placental insufficiency, adaptive circulatory changes maintain adequate oxygen delivery to vital organs such as the heart, brain, and adrenals, with a consequent deprivation to splanchnic organs. In the fetal kidney, as vascular resistance increases during hypoxia, renal perfusion decreases proportionately. These changes are reflected in renal artery Doppler findings. As these same adaptations are believed to occur in donor twins, renal artery Doppler studies may also be of value in the TTTS evaluation. This study plans to perform renal artery Doppler assessments in MCDA twins complicated by TTTS, and compare them to measurements in gestational-age equivalent MCDA twins without TTTS. If findings differ significantly, it would support further investigation into the use of renal artery Doppler studies for the evaluation of complicated MCDA twins.
About one third of twin pregnancies are resulting from a single fertilized oocyte. Two third of these monozygotic twins share a common placenta and are therefore called monochorionic. Due to placental sharing and the ever-present inter-fetal vascular connections, specific complications may arise and lead to an increased risk of intrauterine death and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment. Specific complications include twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), twin-anemia-polycythemia sequence (TAPS), selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) and discordant major anomalies, occurring in about 10%, 5%, 20% and 6% of monochorionic diamniotic twins. Prenatal interventions may improve perinatal and long-term outcome of affected fetuses. However, general knowledge about early diagnosis of monochorionic twins and their specific complications is still limited in a significant number of practitioners in Austria and systematic analysis of pregnancy outcomes are not conducted. In this prospective multicenter registry study, the investigators aim to include all monochorionic pregnancies in Austria. Main outcome parameter is the occurrence of complications. Secondary outcomes are gestational age at occurrence of complications, gestational age delivery and neonatal outcome. The investigators also strive for long-term outcome, especially of infants following complicated pregnancies or preterm birth.
Twin-twin transfusion syndrome is one of the most severe complication in monochorionic twin pregnancies and can cause severe impairment of fetal and neonatal outcome. In severe TTTS the fetoscopic laser coagulation is the treatment of choice. Fetoscopic laser coagulation is associated with a morbidity and mortality due to iatronic rupture of membranes as well as iatrogenic placenta insufficiency. This can cause preterm delivery as well as intrauterine fetal demise. An adaption of the fetoscopic tools to reduce the lesions of the amniotic membrane can decrease the risk of PPROM and increase the overall survival.
The twin pregnancies monochorionic are specifically explained to two main types of complications: the anomalies of the embryo affecting a symmetry and in particular the median line on one hand and malformative sequences of vascular origin on the other hand. This last category of anomalies (twin-to-twin syndrome, TTTS) develops because of the presence of a division of the foeto-placentary circulation between both twins through the pooling of certain placentary cotyledons. The latter are then vascularized by an arterial and venous foot belonging to both foetuses (anastomoses arteria-venous or veinous-arterial). It results from it an imbalance moderate but very early hemodynamic which is going to return a hypovolume twin (the donor) and its plethoric co-twin (the recipient). These anomalies in utero could not only have consequences during the fetal life, on the born weight and the later development of newborns, but also on the organization and the functioning of a whole series of physiological systems. So these anomalies of the pregnancy could have also consequences which exceed by very far from the perinatal period, by favoring the development of the atheroma, the high blood pressure, the resistance in the insulin, and many other metabolic and endocrine functions were known for their importance in human pathology. For these reasons the investigators suggest estimating the tensional, cardiac and metabolic status of children ex-transfusers and of children ex-transfused in 2 different age classes: between 4 and 8 years then when these children will have between 12 and 16 years. There are also some evaluation clinical and biological of the puberty (only at the age of 12-16) To understand a possible effect of the prenatal status of these children on the endocrinology of the puberty, the measures and the following dosages will be realized: - Test in the GnRH (T0, T30, T60, T90): dosages of LH and FSH (relationship of peaks to determine the puberty evolution), - Dosages of the sexual steroids, the oestradiol for the girl and the testosterone for the boy, - Clinical examination looking for the signs of puberty This if study leans on the big originality of the physiopathological model of TTTS in which the children present the peculiarity to have an identical genetic and postnatal status and a different prenatal environment. The follow-up of these children should allow: - To understand better the postnatal impact anomalies on these children in the course of pregnancy - To anticipate and thus to improve their care in case of appearance of biological or clinical signs
Humanitarian use device (HUD): Use of the fetoscopy instrument sets for selective laser photocoagulation in the treatment of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).
Twins who share a placenta but have two separate sacs of amniotic fluid (monochorionic-diamniotic) are at risk of developing twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). TTTS results from anastomoses in the placenta that lead to unequal sharing of blood, causing abnormal blood flow to the twins. The donor twin may have low fluid levels, poor growth, and anemia. The recipient twin can have high fluid levels, high red blood cell counts, heart failure, and hydrops. Having TTTS, especially if there is demise of one twin or if disease is severe enough to warrant laser photocoagulation of the anastomotic sites, puts the surviving fetuses at risk for brain injury due to hypoxia, ischemia, or reperfusion injuries. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is superior to ultrasound at detecting subtle cerebral injuries. An MRI scoring scale has been developed for use in very low birth weight infants that has been shown to correlate with neurodevelopmental outcomes, but it has not been tested in this patient population. Our center's guidelines recommend fetal MRI prior to intervention, at 32 weeks gestational age, and on the infants at term corrected gestational age. Infants who were treated for TTTS in utero are seen in Nursery Follow-up Clinic at 4 months of age, 8 months of age, and for Bayley Scales evaluations at 15-18 months of age and at 2-3 years of age. The purpose of this study is to correlate brain MRI score with neurodevelopmental outcomes in survivors of TTTS that have either required fetal surgical intervention or had demise of their cotwin. The investigators predict that more severe white and gray matter injury as determined by the Woodward/Inder grading scale will be positively associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
The investigators hypothesize that treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) using sequential laser photocoagulation of communicating vessels (SQLPCV) over the predominant method, selective laser photocoagulation of communicating vessels (SLPCV), may provide vascular stability to the donor fetus. The primary objective is to evaluate the perinatal outcome, specifically, donor intrauterine survival of TTTS managed by SQLPCV vs. SLPCV in a prospective, randomized trial.
Patients undergo a detailed ultrasound examination to rule out the presence of congenital anomalies, and to assess the hemodynamic status of the fetuses. Patients with confirmed TTTS will be considered candidates for the trial. Patients will be counseled about the risks and benefits of all treatment options and will be free to choose any treatment option. They will then be asked to sign an informed consent. The procedure will be performed under local anesthesia. After a 2-3 mm skin incision, and under ultrasound guidance, the trocar will be introduced in the amniotic cavity of the Recipient twin. The communicating vessels will be located endoscopically and will be lasered with YAG laser energy. An accessory port may be required in some cases. The procedure will be monitored both endoscopically and sonographically. The presence of fetal heart activity will be noted often during the procedure. An amniodrainage of the larger sac may be performed at the time of the procedure. The patient will remain hospitalized 1-3 days and will undergo an ultrasound assessment on the first post operative day. Patients will undergo a weekly ultrasound examination for four weeks after the initial therapeutic procedure. Sonographic parameters to evaluate will include: maximum vertical pocket of fluid in each sac, visualization of the fetal bladders, absence or presence of hydrops, and Doppler studies of the umbilical artery, umbilical vein, ductus venosus, and middle cerebral artery. After delivery babies will be assessed by their corresponding neonatologists or pediatricians. Infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit will be followed through their discharge. Evidence of neurological or cardiac morbidity will be sought in each twin. If either of these complications is suspected, evaluation by pediatric neurology or pediatric cardiology will be requested. Babies will be followed up for neonatal, infant and childhood morbidity or mortality. It is requested that all placentas be delivered fresh to Tampa General Hospital in an icebox container for assessment. Placentas will be discarded after analysis.