Living with the Dead

Abstract

Intrauterine twin gestation with death of one foetusleads to anxiety in the mind of patient, relatives and even obstetrician.Fetal demise of a twin in the first trimester (vanishing twin) is not very rare and does not impair the development of the surviving twin. However Fetal death in late second and third trimester increase the risk of complications for the surviving co twin such as IUGR, preterm labor, neurodevelopmental impairment and maternal complications such as maternal coagulopathy, preeclampsia, sepsis and perinatal mortality. The causes of fetal death vary and include twin to twin transfusion, placental insufficiency, IUGR, preeclampsia, velamentous insertion of cord, cord around neck, congenital anomaly, etc. The objective of this study is to ascertain the prognosis of the surviving co twin to aid counseling of patients and foreground future research.