title: Risk factors for brain damage among preterm twins.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the perinatal and postnatal risk factors for various brain pathologies among preterm twins.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective data of 104 twin pairs of which one of the siblings had evidence of abnormal head ultrasound (HUS) and its co-twin with normal HUS served as control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Abnormal HUS consisted of periventricular echodensities among 69 infants, intraventricular hemorrhage among 28 infants, cystic periventricular leukomalacia among 10 infants, and other parenchymal brain pathologies among 5 infants. Perinatal and postnatal complications were similar between study and controls. Siblings with severe brain pathologies were ventilated for longer time over their co-twins. In 10 out of 11 cases of discordant twins (≥20%) with severe brain pathology, the severe pathology was recorded in the larger sibling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study results, which included matched preterm twin pairs for study/control groups to evaluate risk factors for the overall evidence of brain injury, could not determine specific risk factors for these brain pathologies. The finding that severe brain pathologies were more common among the larger co-twin requires further study of and attention to short- and long-term outcomes and the potential conflicts that may arise.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neonatology , The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schushan-Eisen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neonatology , The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.
authors.forename: Ayala
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maayan-Metzger
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neonatology , The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mazkereth
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neonatology , The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leibovitch
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neonatology , The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.
authors.forename: Tzipora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Strauss
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000074042:Cerebral Intraventricular Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D059285:Pregnancy, Twin; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Preterm infants; brain pathologies; twins