Growth after intrauterine laser coagulation for twin-twin transfusion syndrome

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate prenatal and postnatal growth of twins with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) after intrauterine laser coagulation. Study design The weight and length of 54 sets of twins with severe TTTS surviving intrauterine laser coagulation at the intervention (median 20+4 weeks), at birth (median 34+3 weeks) and on the occasion of neurodevelopmental follow-up (median age 3 years 10 months) were investigated. All data were converted to Z scores, and groups were compared by two-tailed paired t test. Results At all time points, donors are significantly lighter than recipients (p < 0.001). After laser treatment the weight Z score of donors until birth remains unchanged (p=0.76), whereas recipients lose weight significantly (p < 0.01). Postnatally, both donors and recipients show catch-up growth. Conclusion Intrauterine laser coagulation stops growth acceleration in recipients that leads to a decrease in intertwin discordance. After birth, significant catch-up growth was observed for the donor group (p < 0.001).