Unequal Placental Sharing in Monochorionic Diamniotic Twins: an Observational Study

Launched by UNIVERSITAIRE ZIEKENHUIZEN KU LEUVEN · Jan 16, 2017

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins, which are twins that share a placenta but have separate amniotic sacs. The main goal is to find out if it's possible to predict when one twin is getting more nutrients than the other from the shared placenta, and whether this unequal sharing affects the outcome of the pregnancy. The researchers are currently recruiting participants who are pregnant with MCDA twins and are between 11 and 14 weeks along.

To be eligible for the study, women must be at least 18 years old and able to provide consent. The study includes three groups: those with ongoing MCDA pregnancies, those experiencing a specific condition called Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), and those dealing with a condition known as selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction (sIUGR). Participants can expect to provide information about their pregnancy and undergo careful monitoring throughout the study to help researchers understand how unequal placental sharing may impact both the twins and the pregnancy overall.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • MCDA cohort
• • Ongoing monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy between 11 and 14 weeks, as determined by the crown rump length of the larger twin in spontaneous conceptions and by the date of insemination or embryonic age at replacement in pregnancies resulting from subfertility treatment
• • Women aged 18 years or more, who are able to consent
• • Written informed consent to participate in this study, forms being approved by the Ethical Committees
• • TTTS cohort
• • Monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy, with gestational age defined in the first trimester as mentioned above
• • Complicated by TTTS according to the definition used in the Quintero staging of TTTS (DVP of donor \< 2 cm and DVP of receptor \> 8 cm before 20 weeks or \> 10 cm after 20 weeks
• • Undergoing laser surgery for TTTS
• • Women aged 18 years or more, who are able to consent
• • Written informed consent to participate in this study, forms being approved by the Ethical Committees
• • sIUGR cohort
• • Monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy, with gestational age defined in the first trimester as mentioned above
• • Complicated by sIUGR defined as a discordance in EFW of ≥ 20%, with the percentage of discordance being calculated as (EFW larger twin - EFW smaller twin)/EFW larger twin x 100.
• • Women aged 18 years or more, who are able to consent
• • Written informed consent to participate in this study, forms being approved by the Ethical Committees
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Age \< 18 years
• • Inability to consent