Incredible Video Of 22-Week-Old Twins During Surgery To Treat Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome

A mum was “blown away” after seeing the video footage of her 22-week-old twins, who have a critical condition called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, during surgery in the womb.

Sarah Maund, 35, was 22 weeks pregnant with her twin boys, Henry and Sebastian, in 2014 when her babies underwent a procedure called laser ablation after they were found to have a dangerous condition called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).

Sarah was awake for the surgery, but she wasn’t able to see the images at the time.

Her husband Dan, who was in theatre with her, saw the video while the procedure was being done. “I watched the whole thing on the monitor, it was amazing,” he told The Huffington Post. “The images were so clear, they were like a normal photograph.”

A few weeks after surgery, Sarah finally saw the images of her babies in the womb. “I was just blown away when I saw the pictures for the first time. I knew it was bittersweet – we saw these amazing photographs that most parents will never have the opportunity to see,” she said.

The incredible video has been shared on YouTube by Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba), a multiple birth advocacy group in UK, hoping to raise awareness of TTTS.

Experts explained that normally, blood vessels that connect the two umbilical cords on the surface of the placenta allow blood from one twin (the donor) to flow into the other twin (the recipient). The transfusion of blood happens when there is an imbalance of blood flow from the donor twin to the recipient twin which causes twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.

However, when detected early, the condition can be treated using laser ablation surgery, a procedure that involves passing a small camera into the amniotic sac of the recipient twin. A laser is then used to block the connecting tissues to stop the flow of blood from one twin to the other.

There is an 80 percent chance of one or both twins surviving the procedure and a ten percent chance of developing complications including brain damage and cerebral palsy.

 

Thankfully, Sarah’s twin boys survived the surgery with no problems, and for the procedure to fix the transfusion.

However, it wasn’t until a few weeks later when Sarah was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction, a condition which in very severe cases can cause stillbirth.

So, her twin boys were delivered five weeks early in September 2014, via emergency caesarean.

They stayed for four weeks in hospital until the twin boys were healthy enough to go home.

Source: Kidspot.com.au