Management of monoamniotic twin pregnancies: Where, when, how?

Abstract

Management difficulties for monochorionic monoamniotic (MCMA) twin pregnancy reflect the absence of high-quality research into optimal types of monitoring, essential as MCMA twins have a high risk of intrauterine and neonatal death with perinatal mortality. D'Antonio et al's meta-analysis and the MonoMono study published in 2019, investigated the impact of monitoring location, out- or in-patient, of MCMA pregnancies and concluded that no specific management location is associated with improvement in prognosis. To evaluate the optimal timing for delivery of MCMA pregnancies, Van Mieghem and Chitrit carried out retrospective studies comparing gestational age of intrauterine death and risk of neonatal complication. The crossover point between the propective risk of intrauterine fetal death and neonatal complication was found at 32,33 weeks of gestation (WG), in accordance with American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommendations but inclusion of complicated pregnancies and analysis of fetuses individually may be regarded as a bias. The majority of studies of MCMA pregnancies focused on elective scheduled cesareans, with only rare retrospective studies reporting on vaginal delivery. Of these, two recent studies carried out by French teams suggest that vaginal deliveries may be as safe as cesarean births for MCMA twin pregnancies when specific criteria are met. In summary, concerning MCMA pregnancies, prognosis is not found to improve with inpatient management, optimal timing for delivery is at approximately 33 GW and vaginal delivery should not be excluded.

Keywords: Monochorionic monoamniotic twin pregnancy; Twin delivery.