Umbilical artery occlusion as a therapeutic option in pregnancy with acardiac twin - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Twin pregnancy with an acardiac twin is a rare event characterized by the presence of a placentary arterial anastomosis between the pump twin, morfologically normal, and the acardiac twin, causing a reverse circulation in one of the twins. The major complications are associated with cardiac failure in the normal twin, which is due to circulatory overload and prematurity. Many therapeutic options have been proposed, but there is no consensus about which one is the best therapy. However, intrafetal ablation of the umbilical artery of the acardiac fetus proved to be an inexpensive method that is easy to perform and highly efficient in controlling circulatory overload. We presented two cases of intra-fetal ablation and good evolution. A triplet pregnancy in which the intra-fetal ablation was done in a 29-week-old fetus that evolved to premature delivery of a healthy baby, and a twin pregnancy in which intra-fetal ablation was done in a 31-week-old fetus that evolved to premature rupture of membranes and the premature delivery of a healthy baby.