Search

Chikungunya virus is an arbovirus (alphavirus) transmitted by Aedes albopictus in Reunion Island. A huge chikungunya outbreak swept Reunion Island in 2005- 2006. We report the first case of chikungunya neonatal infection and the 5-years outcome of the 18 neonates hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit between June 2005 and March 2006.

Introduction: Monochorial twin pregnancies are characterised by the presence of vascular connections between the twins. These connections can be the cause of pathologies such as the twin-twin transfusion syndrome or the TRAP syndrome, which is defined as the association of a headless, acardiac twin with a healthy twin., Case Report: The case of an acardiac, headless twin diagnosed during pregnancy at 24 weeks of amenorrhea is described., Discussion: An acardiac headless twin is a rare phenomenon. Yet early diagnosis is crucial during pregnancy to provide adequate monitoring. It is associated with a high death rate in the healthy twin caused by anaemia and heart failure. Therapeutic resources involve interruption of vascular anostomoses between the twins in order to perform a selective feticide., Conclusion: Treatment of acardiac headless twin pregnancy ranges from obstetric abstentionism to interventionism, which depends on the prognosis for the healthy twin, dominated by the risk of preterm birth and heart failure., (Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier SAS.)

Objectives: To determine the most efficient and tailored screening method for aneuploidies in twins for the French population., Material and Methods: Articles were searched using the PubMed and the Cochrane libraries., Results: In cases of twin pregnancies, the aneuploidy's risk related to maternal age as well as gestational age must be considered as being the same as in singletons. In bichorionic twins, we have to consider individually the nuchal translucency thickness of each twin. In monochorionic twins, we have to consider a range of risks related to the nuchal translucency measurements of each twins. The additional benefit of maternal serum biochemistry screening in twins is not as established as in singletons., Conclusion: The most appropriate method of screening for aneuploidies in twin pregnancies is based during the first trimester of pregnancy on the risk related to maternal age combined with those related to the nuchal translucency measurement. In the absence of first-trimester screening, it is possible to offer a screening method based on the second trimester maternal serum biochemistry and/or by a targeted ultrasound., (Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Three cases of intermittent absent end-diastolic and reversed end-diastolic flow velocity (A/REDV) are reported in the proximal umbilical artery of the growth-retarded twin in monochorionic twin pregnancies. This typical doppler velocimetric pattern has been related to arterio-arterial anastomoses in two cases of intra-uterine growth retardation and in one case of twin-twin transfusion syndrome. According to the literature, superficial arterio-arterial anastomoses may be detected by doppler colour velocimetry in 75 to 85% of cases, while identification of arteriovenous connections is more difficult to be documented in vivo (50% of cases in experienced hands). The role of superficial vascular anastomoses, either arterio-arterial or venovenous, and that of deep arteriovenous communications is now well documented in the main complications of monochorionic pregnancies, particularly for twin-twin transfusion syndrome, intrauterine growth retardation, intrauterine fetal death and acardiac twins.