ABSTRACT
Long-term immune functions after intrauterine laser treatment for severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome was investigated. Immunologic parameters were measured in 18 twin pairs at a median age of 3.5 years. Both donors and recipients showed no severe deficiencies in total and specific immunoglobulin concentrations.
Subject(s)
Fetofetal Transfusion/immunology , Immunoglobulins/blood , Twins , Child, Preschool , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Fetofetal Transfusion/blood , Fetofetal Transfusion/surgery , Humans , Laser Coagulation , Male , Pregnancy , Severity of Illness Index , SurvivorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to investigate long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of children born after intrauterine laser coagulation for severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred sixty-seven surviving infants treated between June 1997 and September 1999 were investigated at a median age of 3 years and 2 months. All children underwent a detailed standardized physical and neurologic examination and a standardized developmental test (Griffiths' Developmental Test Scales and Snijders-Oomen Non-Verbal-Intelligence Test). RESULTS: One hundred forty-five infants (86.8%) showed normal development, 12 infants (7.2%) showed minor neurologic abnormalities, and 10 infants (6.0%) major neurologic abnormalities. There was no difference in outcome for the former donors/recipients (P = .349) and between infants who were born as twins or singletons (P = .088). CONCLUSION: With a high rate (86.8%) of normal neurodevelopmental outcome and an incidence of only 6.0% of major neurologic deficiencies, intrauterine laser coagulation seems to be the best treatment option for severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome.
