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The purpose of this study was to determine whether planned vaginal delivery is associated with increased risk of perinatal death and morbidity in twin pregnancies that are complicated by a very low birthweight of the second twin.We conducted a retrospective cohort study of twin pregnancies in which the second twin's birthweight was ≤1500 g. One hundred ninety-three twin gestations met the study criteria; patients were classified into 2 groups according to the planned mode of delivery: (1) cesarean delivery (n = 142) and (2) vaginal delivery (n = 51). In the vaginal delivery group, 21 pairs were in cephalic-cephalic presentation at the time of delivery; 28 pairs were cephalic-noncephalic, and 2 pairs were noncephalic-noncephalic. Composite adverse neonatal outcome was defined as the presence of neonatal death, respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, or intraventricular hemorrhage grade 3-4.Trial of vaginal delivery was successful for both twins in 90.5% of cephalic-cephalic twins and 96.4% in cephalic-noncephalic twins. The rate of intraventricular hemorrhage was significantly higher in the vaginal delivery group (29.4% vs 8.5%, respectively; P = .013; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-10.1). The increased risk of intraventricular hemorrhage in the vaginal delivery groups was evident in both twin A (17.6% vs 7.0%; P = .029) and twin B (15.7% vs 4.9%; P = .014); however, these differences were not significant after adjustment for possible confounders (twin A: adjusted OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 0.58-5.55; twin B: adjusted OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 0.63-7.25). In addition, subgroup analysis revealed that both cephalic-cephalic and cephalic-noncephalic twins who were delivered vaginally had increased risk for intraventricular hemorrhage. There were no significant differences between the cesarean and vaginal delivery groups in the rates of Apgar score7 at 5 minutes, arterial cord pH7.1, composite adverse neonatal outcome, and neonatal mortality rate. However, the rate of respiratory distress syndrome was significantly lower in the vaginal delivery group (66.7% vs 69%; P = .042; OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12-0.96).Vaginal delivery of very low birthweight twins is associated with an increased risk of intraventricular hemorrhage, regardless of presentation. Because of the small sample size and the retrospective cohort design, large prospective randomized studies are needed.

Objective Chemerin, a novel adipokine, has been implicated in adipogenesis, inflammation, and metabolism. The aims of this study were to determine the presence of chemerin in cord blood and its association with birthweight. Study Design This cross-sectional study included the following: (1) twins with (n = 24) or without (n = 28) birthweight discordancy; and (2) singletons subclassified into small-for-gestational-age (SGA; n=18); appropriate for gestational age (AGA; n=33); and large-for-gestational-age (LGA; n=8). Cord blood chemerin was determined. Parametric and nonparametric statistics were used for analysis. Results The results of the study included the following: (1) within the discordant twins group, the median chemerin concentration was significantly lower in the SGA group than in their cotwins; (2) within singletons, the median chemerin concentration was significantly higher in the LGA than the AGA newborns; and (3) the regression model revealed that chemerin was independently associated with birthweight. Conclusion Cord blood chemerin is present in cord blood and its concentrations are positively correlated with birthweight. These novel findings support a role of adipokines in fetal growth.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether corticosteroid administration after 34 weeks of gestation is associated with improved neonatal outcome in the presence of fetal lung immaturity. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women who underwent amniocentesis to determine fetal lung maturity from 34-37 weeks of gestation. Patients with negative results (167 women) received steroids based on physician preference and were categorized into 2 groups: study group treated with betamethasone (n = 83 women) and control group in which patients did not receive betamethasone therapy (n = 84 women). The 2 groups were compared with respect to neonatal outcomes. Composite neonatal morbidity was defined as the presence of respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn infant, or the need for respiratory support. Results The rate of composite neonatal morbidity was significantly lower among infants who were exposed to steroids compared with the control group (8.4% vs 21%; P = .02). Multiple regression analysis revealed that corticosteroid administration was associated independently with the composite morbidity outcome. Conclusion Antenatal steroid administration after 34 weeks of gestation is associated with improved neonatal outcome and should be considered when fetal lung immaturity is documented.