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A high-powered ultrasound treatment could help identical twins affected by a rare and serious condition during early pregnancy, an initial study suggests.
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, or TTTS, causes uneven blood flow between identical twins who share a placenta.
The imbalance can leave one baby dangerously small and the other too large, putting both babies’ survival at risk.
Brioney Garrett’s daughters were in danger before doctors used the world-first treatment to seal the blood vessels causing the problem without an operation.
Nancy and Margo were born healthy and, now aged four, are due to start school.
Researchers from Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital tested the non-invasive procedure in 10 women from the UK and elsewhere in Europe after scans detected TTTS during early pregnancy.
Five women needed further treatment, while 12 of the 20 babies survived following the procedure.
The researchers described having a treatment that did not require a needle or telescope to be inserted into the mother’s abdomen as “extremely exciting”.
However, they said larger studies involving more pregnant women were needed before the procedure could be offered more widely.
Garrett described her daughters as “my miracle twins”.
She said: “We were in a very dire situation and I don’t forget that.
“It stays with me always how things could have been. Every day I still count my blessings.”
TTTS affects between 10 and 15 per cent of identical twins who share a placenta, representing around 300 to 400 pregnancies in the UK each year.
The uneven blood flow causes excess fluid to build up around the larger recipient baby, while leaving dangerously little fluid around the smaller donor baby.
Treatment usually involves inserting a needle into the womb to drain some of the fluid or using a laser to seal the connecting blood vessels.
Garrett’s procedure took about 20 minutes. She lay flat while a specially designed machine directed high-powered ultrasound waves at small blood vessels in her placenta.
She said: “It was very quick and pretty painless.”
Christoph Lees, head of fetal medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and professor of obstetrics at Imperial College London, described the research as “very promising”.
He said: “If this could work in a fully-fledged study, it could give hope to a lot of women who otherwise might have to have quite invasive treatment.”
Ultrasound is commonly used during medical scans to produce images of the body, but this procedure uses much more focused waves.
Heat generated by the waves can seal blood vessels about 2mm in diameter and located around 5cm to 6cm beneath the skin.
The procedure blocked blood flow in 90 per cent of the vessels treated during the study, with no unwanted side-effects reported.
Twins Trust, which supported the study, said the approach could make a significant difference for families affected by TTTS.
Helen Peck, head of healthcare engagement and research, said: “Any procedure that is non-invasive and can potentially identify TTTS earlier and improve outcomes for our families with this life-threatening condition could be a turning point.”
Scans carried out weeks after Garrett’s procedure showed that blood flow between the babies had been rebalanced, although other problems developed during the pregnancy.
Garrett said Margo, who had too little fluid around her, “was in a much better position” and that “the strain on Nancy’s heart had eased”.
Nancy and Margo were born at nearly 34 weeks, weighing 3lb 7oz and 3lb 3oz respectively.
Garrett said: “They were both healthy, and Margo wasn’t as small as we worried she was going to be.”
The twins are due to start primary school in September.
Garrett said: “They’re funny, smart, energetic little girls that just fit right in with their age group.”
