OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate perinatal outcomes of fetal pleural effusion after thoracoamniotic shunting. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 68 singleton pregnancies with massive fetal pleural effusion that underwent thoracoamniotic shunting between 1999 and 2012 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Through a review of medical records, we investigated perinatal outcomes according to the presence of fetal hydrops and identified prognostic factors by stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 68 pregnancies, three were lost to follow-up and two fetuses died in utero. The median gestational age at shunting was 28.3 weeks (range, 18.5-34.1 weeks). Of the 65 fetuses, 50 (76.9%) were hydropic, of which hydrops resolved following shunting in 29 fetuses (58.0%). Among the 63 live births, the median gestational age at delivery was 33.6 weeks (range, 26.2-40.0 weeks), with 36 fetuses (57.1%) delivered preterm. The overall survival rate was 75.4% (49/65), and in a subgroup analysis, the survival rate was highest for non-hydropic fetuses (14/15, 93.3%), followed by fetuses whose hydrops resolved (25/29, 86.2%) and remained after shunting (10/21, 47.6%). CONCLUSION: Thoracoamniotic shunting can be helpful for fetuses with massive pleural effusion. While fetal hydrops can occur in such cases, perinatal outcomes can be improved by successful shunting.
OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate perinatal outcomes of fetal pleural effusion after thoracoamniotic shunting. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 68 singleton pregnancies with massive fetal pleural effusion that underwent thoracoamniotic shunting between 1999 and 2012 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Through a review of medical records, we investigated perinatal outcomes according to the presence of fetal hydrops and identified prognostic factors by stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 68 pregnancies, three were lost to follow-up and two fetuses died in utero. The median gestational age at shunting was 28.3 weeks (range, 18.5-34.1 weeks). Of the 65 fetuses, 50 (76.9%) were hydropic, of which hydrops resolved following shunting in 29 fetuses (58.0%). Among the 63 live births, the median gestational age at delivery was 33.6 weeks (range, 26.2-40.0 weeks), with 36 fetuses (57.1%) delivered preterm. The overall survival rate was 75.4% (49/65), and in a subgroup analysis, the survival rate was highest for non-hydropic fetuses (14/15, 93.3%), followed by fetuses whose hydrops resolved (25/29, 86.2%) and remained after shunting (10/21, 47.6%). CONCLUSION: Thoracoamniotic shunting can be helpful for fetuses with massive pleural effusion. While fetal hydrops can occur in such cases, perinatal outcomes can be improved by successful shunting.
Authors: Ahmet A Baschat; Sean B Blackwell; Debnath Chatterjee; James J Cummings; Stephen P Emery; Shinjiro Hirose; Lisa M Hollier; Anthony Johnson; Sarah J Kilpatrick; Francois I Luks; M Kathryn Menard; Lawrence B McCullough; Julie S Moldenhauer; Anita J Moon-Grady; George B Mychaliska; Michael Narvey; Mary E Norton; Mark D Rollins; Eric D Skarsgard; KuoJen Tsao; Barbara B Warner; Abigail Wilpers; Greg Ryan Journal: Obstet Gynecol Date: 2022-05-02 Impact factor: 7.623