Search

Mirror syndrome is a rare obstetric condition where a mother "mirrors" the edema of her hydropic fetus and placenta. We present the successful resolution of mirror syndrome following fetoscopic laser photocoag- ulation for twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). A 36-year-old woman was pregnant with monocho- rionic twins. She was diagnosed with TTTS at the 23rd week of pregnancy and transported to our hospi- tal by ambulance for treatment Her human chorionic gonadotropin serum concentration was 144,437 IU - ml'. Fetoscopic laser photocoagulation was performed under local anesthesia with dexmedetomidine. How- ever, her restlessness disturbed the procedure and conversion to general anesthesia was required, which facilitated successful completion of the surgical proce- dure. Postoperatively, her vital signs were stable, and after 30 min, the saturation decreased to 80%. She was intubated, sedated with propofol, and transported to the intensive care unit A transthoracic ultrasound examination showed no cardiomyopathy. A chest X-ray suggested pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema disap- peared immediately, and she was extubated after 36 hr. Postoperatively, the twins had a good prognosis. There are several reports of mirror syndrome after fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for TTTS. Recovery from mirror syndrome can improve following the reso- lution of fetal hydrops in TTTS using fetoscopic laser photocoagulation.

Background: Fetoscopic laser coagulation is an ef- fective treatment for the vascular anastomoses present in twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS); how- ever, anesthetic management during the procedure has not yet been standardized. We hypothesized that dex- medetomidine could produce excellent maternal seda- tion during fetoscopic surgery. Therefore, we per- formed a prospective study to compare dexmedetomi- dine with fentanyl infusion, which had been previously used for sedation., Methods: Patients scheduled for fetoscopic laser coagulation for TTTS were randomized into 2 groups. In the first group (n =19), fentanyl (2 μg · kg-1) was intravenously infused, followed by a maintenance dose of 1-2,μg · kg⁻¹ · hr⁻¹. The second group (n=18) received a loading dose of dexmedetomidine (1 μg · kg⁻¹) for 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 0.7 μg · kg⁻¹ · hr⁻¹. Both groups received 1% lidocaine administered locally. Adverse event incidence, hemo- dynamic parameters, and face scale were evaluated., Results: One patient in the dexmedetomidine group required conversion to general anesthesia. Vomiting, nausea, and respiratory depression were significantly more frequent with fentanyl than with dexmedetomi- dine. Face scale scores were significantly better with dexmedetomidine than with fentanyl., Conclusions: Continuous dexmedetomidine infusion provides acceptable maternal analgesia and sedation during endoscopic treatment of TTTS.

Background: The fetoscopic laser coagulation of the vascular anastomoses on the monochorianic placenta for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) has recently been shown to be effective. There have been few reports on the anesthetic techniques used for the fetoscopic laser coagulation. We report cases in which midazolam and fentanyl were used for the anesthetic management of the fetoscopic laser coagulation., Methods: Twenty-two healthy (ASA I, II) women in the second trimester of pregnancy, carrying twins and scheduled for the fetoscopic laser coagulation for TTTS, were included. Midazolam 1 mg and fentanyl 2 microg x kg(-1) were infused intravenously before insertion of urethral catheter. Thereafter, fentanyl was infused at a rate of 2 microg x kg x hr(-1) lidocaine (1%, 5 ml) was administered locally., Results: The procedure was performed successfully in 21 of 22 cases with acceptable pain. In one case, general anesthesia was necessary because the pain was not controlled. Maternal respiratory rate and end-tidal CO2 remained stable during the procedure. No patient had the respiratory rate below 10 breaths x min(-1)., Conclusions: Continuous fentanyl infusion with midazolam provided acceptable maternal analgesia and sedation during endscopic treatment of TTTS. Careful titration with simulation of fentanyl concentration and respiratory monitoring enable safe and effective anesthesia management.