Acardiac twin pregnancy with neonatal resolution of donor twin cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
Twin reverse arterial perfusion, as with acardiac fetuses, is a rare complication of multifetal pregnancy. Prognosis of the donor twin is guarded because of the high risk of cardiac failure, polyhydramnios, and preterm delivery.


METHODS
A 40-year-old woman, gravida 4, para 3, was diagnosed at 19 weeks' gestation with a twin pregnancy complicated by an acardiac, acephalic fetus. Serial amniocenteses were done to decompress the hydramnios between 27 and 33 weeks. Ultrasonography showed ventricular septal hypertrophy in the donor twin at 27 weeks, and cesarean delivery was done at 33 weeks. The neonatal course was complicated by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which resolved without sequelae by 1 year of age.


CONCLUSIONS
Antenatal sonographic monitoring of interventricular septal thickness can be a useful marker to predict neonatal cardiac sequelae.
Chandra
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. suecnf@hotmail.com
Crane
J M
JM
Young
D C
DC
Shah
S
S
D000328:Adult; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005330:Fetofetal Transfusion; D006257:Head / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D014427:Twins; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal