Objective: We report on a case of a triploidy in one fetus of a twin pregnancy who presented with the findings of growth discordance.
Methods: Three weeks' difference between fetuses in ultrasonographic measurements in the first trimester was observed in a twin pregnancy following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment for male infertility. Hydrocephaly developed in the growth-discordant fetus subsequently. Amniocentesis for both fetuses and selective feticide for the abnormal one was performed at 19 weeks' gestation through a single insertion. Fetal karyotype of the abnormal one was 69,XXX and the healthy one was 46,XX.
Conclusion: Early developed growth discordance in a twin pregnancy may be a sign of chromosomal abnormality such as triploidy. Those cases should be karyotyped without delay to decrease preterm delivery risk of possible selective feticide.
(c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel