Vanishing twin

Fernando Heredia MD, Víctor Quiroz MD, Carlos Henríquez MD

Departamento de Ginecología y Obstetricia, Hospital “Guillermo Grant Benavente”, and Departamento de Ginecología y Obstetricia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción Chile.

This patient 1s a 32-year-old G1P0. This image was found during a routine term examination of a non-complicated pregnancy. Next to the transverse view of the fetal head, we observe a small sac with a thin membrane. The sac contains a small amount of tissue connected to the membrane by a thin pedicle. As the sac was attached to the placenta, near the cord"s insertion, we thought this represented a Vanishing Twin.

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Detail of the placenta just after delivery. The sac is close to the cord"s insertion. It was covered by the other gestation"s amnion, which was removed before opening the sac.

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When we opened the sac, a small amount of diluted bloody liquid poured slowly. Inside it we observed unidentifiable tissue which is showed in this image.

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The placental biopsy confirmed our diagnosis of monochorionic-diamniotic pregnancy with a vanishing twin.

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