Complications In Twin Baby Pregnancy May Be Best Treated By Sound Waves: Research Study

Overview

• Post By : Kumar Jeetendra


• Source: Imperial College London


• Date: 19 Jul,2016

Researcher from Imperial College London recently found sound waves may play an important role to treat certain deadly complication in twin baby pregnancy. Research study recently appears in journal Science Translational Medicine, as per study done over sheep researcher found that ultrasound waves may play an important role to treat Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) one of most common deadly complication in twin baby pregnancy. The study already done to destroy certain cancerous cells.

"Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome can have tragic consequences, and in severe cases results in one tiny twin, while the other is very large — and begins to squash its sibling in the womb. Unfortunately, the little baby often does very badly — and in some cases the condition results in the loss of both twins: Dr Christoph Lees, senior author from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial.

"Yet at the moment the only option we have for these serious cases — laser treatment — carries risk of premature birth or miscarriage. Furthermore, the laser can sometimes not reach some abnormal vessels deep in the placenta."

According to study,

Dr Lees added: "Although this is very early-stage research, it shows the procedure can successfully destroy the blood vessels in the placenta — and could potentially stop abnormal blood flow between twin babies. We now hope to continue developing this HIFU procedure, translate these findings to humans, and work towards human trials." Study suggests that the procedure may best help earlier in pregnancy after 5 months.

Story source: Imperial College London

Journal References:

C. J. Shaw, J. Civale, K. J. Botting, Y. Niu, G. ter Haar, I. Rivens, D. A. Giussani, C. C. Lees. Noninvasive high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome: A preliminary in vivo study. Science Translational Medicine, 2016; 8 (347): 347ra95 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf2135