Pioneering surgery saves lives of 128 twins in the womb

More than 100 children's lives have been saved while still in the womb through the use of groundbreaking surgery since 2006 at the Rotunda Hospital, new research shows.

An audit of the first 105 cases of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) operated on at the hospital shows that 128 of the 210 fetuses lived, a survival rate of 61 per cent.

The syndrome, which affects up to 20 per cent of identical twins, occurs when abnormal blood vessels in the placenta transfuse too much blood into one baby and not enough to the other. Before the new technique was pioneered in Ireland in the Rotunda, the mortality rate was 90 per cent and survivors often suffered severe abnormalities.

Survived

After receiving the treatment, both babies survived in 47 per cent of pregnancies, and at least one survived in 75 per cent of cases, according to the study published in the

European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

It found the results achieved by the team in the Rotunda were as good as those recorded in other world-class centres performing the technique, known as fetoscopic laser ablation.

This involves inserting a camera just 2mm thick into the womb, identifying the abnormal blood vessels and using laser therapy to seal them.

Prof Fergal Malone, the consultant obstetrician at the Rotunda who pioneered the treatment in Ireland, stressed the need for early diagnosis.