This is what the little ones suffered from
At the Gemelli hospital in Rome, a record intervention to save two children still in their mother’s belly from a rare serious disease. Two twins operated in the womb they are fine and their mom is fine too. A truly incredible operation that saved the lives of the little ones who are yet to be born.
The operation took place in the operating rooms of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. A delicate operation in utero in twins who are at 26 weeks of pregnancy, affected by a serious and rare disease, the fetal-fetal transfusion syndrome.
The operation took place in April last year: the twins were operated on at the 26th week of gestation, while the birth took place on 6 July with a caesarean section. 35 weeks of pregnancy. Two and a half months after birth they are in excellent health.
There twin pregnancy monochorionic (two twins with only one placenta) and biamniotic (two amniotic sacs) immediately aroused concern among doctors. A pregnancy considered at risk, as explained by Dr. Elisa Bevilacqua, who led a medical team of women only:
This increased risk is due to the presence of communications between the two fetal circulations, which occurs through special vessels (anastomosis). Normally the blood exchange system through these anastomoses is balanced, that is, it occurs in a ‘fair’ way between the two fetuses, but there are cases in which the blood goes to a greater extent from one twin to the other, resulting in an imbalance from the point of haemodynamic point of view and the onset of the so-called fetal-fetal transfusion syndrome.
Twins operated on in the womb: they were born and are fine
During the surgery, the surgeons divided the placenta in two, to ensure that each child has its own part of the placenta, no longer communicating with the other. A vital intervention, not without risks but which went well.
The babies were born healthy in July and are now two and a half months old.
#Twins #operated #womb #illness