<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_jou.2017.0038_s_001"><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Conjoined twins are identical twins with fused bodies, joined in utero. They are rare complications of monochorionic twinning. The purpose of this study is to describe the various types of conjoined twins, the role of imaging and recent advances aiding in their management.</p></sec><sec id="j_jou.2017.0038_s_002"><h3>Material and methods</h3><p>This was a twin institutional study involving 3 cases of conjoined twins diagnosed over a period of 6 years from 2010 to 2015. All the 3 cases were identified antenatally by ultrasound. Only one case was further evaluated by MRI.</p></sec><sec id="j_jou.2017.0038_s_003"><h3>Results</h3><p>Three cases of conjoined twins (cephalopagus, thoracopagus and omphalopagus) were accurately diagnosed on antenatal ultrasound. After detailed counseling of the parents and obtaining written consent, all the three cases of pregnancy were terminated. Delivery of the viable conjoined twins was achieved without any complications to the mothers, and all the three conjoined twins died after a few minutes.</p></sec><sec id="j_jou.2017.0038_s_004"><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Ultrasound enables an early and accurate diagnosis of conjoined twins, which is vital for obstetric management. MRI is reserved for better tissue characterization. Termination of pregnancy when opted, should be done at an early stage as later stages are fraught with problems. Recent advances, such as 3D printing, may aid in surgical pre-planning, thereby enabling successful surgical separation of conjoined twins.</p></sec></abstract>

IntroductionConjoined twins are identical twins with fused bodies, joined in utero. They are rare complications of monochorionic twinning. The purpose of this study is to describe the various types of conjoined twins, the role of imaging and recent advances aiding in their management.Material and methodsThis was a twin institutional study involving 3 cases of conjoined twins diagnosed over a period of 6 years from 2010 to 2015. All the 3 cases were identified antenatally by ultrasound. Only one case was further evaluated by MRI.ResultsThree cases of conjoined twins (cephalopagus, thoracopagus and omphalopagus) were accurately diagnosed on antenatal ultrasound. After detailed counseling of the parents and obtaining written consent, all the three cases of pregnancy were terminated. Delivery of the viable conjoined twins was achieved without any complications to the mothers, and all the three conjoined twins died after a few minutes.ConclusionUltrasound enables an early and accurate diagnosis of conjoined twins, which is vital for obstetric management. MRI is reserved for better tissue characterization. Termination of pregnancy when opted, should be done at an early stage as later stages are fraught with problems. Recent advances, such as 3D printing, may aid in surgical pre-planning, thereby enabling successful surgical separation of conjoined twins.

Conjoined twins – role of imaging and recent advances

Journal of Ultrasonography

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Public License.

{"article-title":"Conjoined twins \u2013 role of imaging and recent advances"}

IntroductionConjoined twins are identical twins with fused bodies, joined in utero. They are rare complications of monochorionic twinning. The purpose of this...

Conjoined twins – role of imaging and recent advances

Article Category: research-article

Publié en ligne: 29 déc. 2017

Pages: 259 - 266

Reçu: 11 août 2017

Accepté: 11 oct. 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2017.0038

Mots clés
cephalopagus, conjoined twins, omphalopagus, thoracopagus, 3D printing

© 2017 Rishi Philip Mathew et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Public License.

Conjoined twins – role of imaging and recent advances

Article Category: research-article

Publié en ligne: 29 déc. 2017

Pages: 259 - 266

Reçu: 11 août 2017

Accepté: 11 oct. 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2017.0038

Mots cléscephalopagus, conjoined twins, omphalopagus, thoracopagus, 3D printing

© 2017 Rishi Philip Mathew et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Public License.

Mots clés
cephalopagus, conjoined twins, omphalopagus, thoracopagus, 3D printing