A Case of Acardiac Twin Diagnosed by Ultrasound Prenatally.

Her, Yun Su; Yang, Hwan Ju; Jeong, Young Ju; Cho, Sung Nam; Kim, Jong Duk

Case Report

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2004;47(5):980-983.
Published online May 1, 2004.

A Case of Acardiac Twin Diagnosed by Ultrasound Prenatally.

Yun Su Her, Hwan Ju Yang, Young Ju Jeong, Sung Nam Cho, Jong Duk Kim

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chonbuk National University, Medical School, Chonju, Korea.

Abstract

The acardiac twin, or twin reversal of arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence is encountered in approximately 1% of monozygotic twins with an incidence of one in 35,000 births. The problem results from vascular anastomoses between the arterial and venous circulation of normal "pump" twin and that of recipient "perfused" acardiac twin. The recipient twin may display severe and lethal anomalies, including acardia and acephalus. The pump twin is structurally normal. Mortality of about 50-75% in cases without treatment is due to heart failure, prematurity or cord entanglement. We report a case of acardiac twin diagnosed by ultrasound prenatally.

Key Words: Acardiac twin, Twin reversal of arterial perfusion (TRAP)