Colour Doppler energy insonation of placental vasculature in monochorionic twins: absent arterio-arterial anastomoses in association with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine in vivo whether monochorionic pregnancies complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome are associated with absence of haemodynamically-compensatory arterio-arterial anastomoses.

DESIGN: Forty monochorionic pregnancies were prospectively recruited for an ultrasonographic survey of the chorionic plate using colour Doppler energy. Arterio-arterial anastomoses were identified by their characteristic bidirectional interference pattern on spectral Doppler. Angioarchitecture was confirmed by postnatal injection study.

SETTING: Fetal medicine tertiary referral centre in London.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of arterio-arterial anastomoses, development of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, survival.

RESULTS: Arterio-arterial anastomoses were detected by colour Doppler energy in 21 pregnancies (53%), and there were no false positives. An arterio-arterial anastomosis was more commonly found in unaffected (n=28) compared to pregnancies affected by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (n=12), both by colour Doppler energy [20/28 (71%) is 1/12 (8%); delta=63%, 95% CI 40%-86%] and by postnatal injection study [25/28 (89%) vs 3/12 (25%); delta=64%, 95% CI 37%-91%]. In pregnancies in which no arterio-arterial anastomoses were detected, a diagnosis of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome was made in 58%, and the perinatal loss rate was 40%, compared with one case of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (5%) (P < 0.001) and a loss rate of 12% (P=0.005) in pregnancies in which an arterio-arterial anastomosis was detected. CONCLUSION Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is associated with an absence of functional arterio-arterial anastomoses in vivo in monochorionic twin pregnancies. This contributes to our understanding of the pathophysiology of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and confirms ex vivo studies demonstrating that twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is associated with a paucity of superficial anastomoses. Prospective studies are indicated to determine the utility of colour Doppler energy for arterio-arterial anastomoses in predicting risk in monochorionic pregnancies.