What is FETO-fetal transfusion syndrome?
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), also known as feto-fetal transfusion syndrome (FFTS), twin oligohydramnios-polyhydramnios sequence (TOPS) and stuck twin syndrome, is a complication of monochorionic multiple pregnancies (the most common form of identical twin pregnancy) in which there is disproportionate blood …
What is the survival rate of TTTS?
The majority of TTTS twins who have appropriate treatment during pregnancy will survive and the majority of survivors will be normal and healthy. If untreated, the survival rate for TTTS twins is approximately 10 to 15 percent. Once TTTS babies are born, blood supply sharing is no longer a factor.
When is TTTS most likely to happen?
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome typically develops between weeks 16 and 26 of a woman’s pregnancy. But an ultrasound as early as 10 to 14 weeks can put doctors on alert that there is a twin gestation, and if they are sharing a placenta. TTTS is diagnosed by measuring levels of amniotic fluid.
How serious is TTTS?
Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a rare yet serious condition, requiring fetal intervention to prevent loss of one or both fetuses. Mayo Clinic is one of a handful of medical centers treating this condition nationwide.
What are the causes of Oligohydramnios?
What causes oligohydramnios?
- Your water breaking before you go into labor.
- Poor fetal growth.
- Your pregnancy going past your due date.
- Birth defects (kidney and urinary tract problems may be likely)
- You are pregnant with identical twins who share a placenta (called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome)
What should I expect at 27 weeks of pregnancy?
Your baby, or foetus, is around 36.6cm long from head to heel, and weighs about 875g. That’s approximately the size of a big leek, and the weight of a head of cauliflower. Your baby’s lungs are now capable of breathing – and that’s a big deal. Your baby is also getting plumper by the day.
Can you prevent TTTS?
TTTS is caused by abnormal connections between twins that form when the placenta first develops. This is a purely mechanical and random event that can’t be avoided. “The mother can do absolutely nothing to prevent it,” says Dr. Norman Davies, maternal fetal medicine consultant at Mayo Clinic.
Can TTTS be treated?
Laser fetal surgery is the only treatment that targets the cause of the TTTS. In this procedure, a laser fiber enclosed in a long, thin telescope is inserted into the uterus to separate the blood vessels on the placenta that run from one twin to the other.
Can TTTS be misdiagnosed?
Compared with cases with a correct diagnosis, ‘misdiagnosed’ TTTS patients were referred later (P = 0.018), and at a more advanced stage (Stage IV TTTS in 16.8% of ‘misdiagnosed’ cases vs 7.9% of cases with a correct diagnosis, P = 0.014, or Stage III or more in 72.0% of ‘misdiagnosed’ cases vs 59.3% of cases with a …
How is TTTS treated?
How do I stop TTTS?
Laser treatment: The best option we have “For severe cases of TTTS, the best treatment we have right now is laser ablation,” explains Dr. Larry Rand, director of the Fetal Treatment Center at UCSF. Lasers pinpoint the blood vessel connections between the babies and physically cut them and seal them.
Does bed rest help TTTS?
Not all moms with TTTS are prescribed bed rest, but for those that are, bed rest means reducing their activity levels.
What connects the embryo and fetus to the placenta?
When the placenta forms, the embryo and placenta connect through a stalk surrounded by the primitive umbilical ring. As the embryo grows and develops into a fetus, the stalk also grows while developing two arteries and a vein. As the gastrointestinal system develops, it protrudes through the umbilical ring, forming the longer umbilical cord.
How does the fetus connect to the placenta?
The placenta is attached to the fetus through the umbilical cord, the lifeline between mother and baby. It contains one vein, carrying oxygenated blood from the placenta to the baby, and two arteries, bringing deoxygenated blood from the baby to the placenta.
What portion of the placenta is from the fetus?
The placenta has been described as a pancake-shaped organ that attaches to the inside of the uterus and is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord.
When does the fetus attach to the placenta?
The placenta develops from the same sperm and egg cells that the fetus develops from. The placenta begins to develop upon implantation of the fetus into the wall of the uterus around week four of pregnancy. Microvilli (cell protrusions that increase the surface area of the cell) help to attach the placenta to the wall of the uterus.