Four‐dimensional sonographic assessment of inter‐twin contact late in the first trimester

Sasaki, Mutsuko; Yanagihara, Toshihiro; Naitoh, Naoko; Hata, Toshiyuki

doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.09.025

Cited by 30 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, Sherer et al (1990Sherer et al ( , 1992 suggested that 'tactile communication' between twin fetuses could explain coinciding fetal heart accelerations during non-stress testing. These contacts have been described in a small number of ultrasound studies carried out from the mid-1990s to the present time either by using conventional 2D (Arabin et al, 1996;Piontelli et al, 1997) or 4D ultrasound (Hata et al, 2011;Sasaki et al, 2010). A consistent finding across these studies is that inter-twin contacts seem to occur earlier in MC than in DC twins.…”

Section: Inter-twin Contactssupporting

confidence: 66%

Fetal Behavior and Heart Rate in Twin Pregnancy: A Review

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fetal movements and fetal heart rate (FHR) are well-established markers of fetal well-being and maturation of the fetal central nervous system. The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the available knowledge on fetal movements and heart rate patterns in twin pregnancies. There is some evidence for an association or similarity in fetal movement incidences or FHR patterns between both members of twin pairs. However, the temporal occurrence of these patterns seems to be for the most part asynchronous, especially when stricter criteria are used to define synchrony. The available data suggest that fetal behavior is largely independent of sex combination, fetal position, and presentation. Conversely, chorionicity appears to have some influence on fetal behavior, mainly before 30 weeks of gestation. There is preliminary evidence for the continuity of inter-individual differences in fetal activity and FHR patterns over pregnancy. Comparisons between studies are limited by large methodological differences and absence of uniform concepts and definitions. Future studies with high methodological quality are needed to provide a more comprehensive knowledge of normal fetal behavior in twin pregnancy.

show abstract

Section: Inter-twin Contactssupporting

confidence: 66%

Fetal Behavior and Heart Rate in Twin Pregnancy: A Review

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…25 The median rate of reaction movement (twins appear to touch each other and there is a clear reaction by the co-twin [ Fig.9]) in twin fetuses at 12-13 GW was 33.9% (range, 27-64.1%). 26 Our twin study showed that the difference in the frequency of the type of inter-twin contact at 10-13 GW might be due to early fetal neuromuscular development and differentiation of the neuromuscular system.…”

Section: Twin Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current status of fetal neurodevelopmental assessment: Four‐dimensional ultrasound study

Hata

2016

J of Obstet and Gynaecol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With the latest advent of four-dimensional (4-D) ultrasound, fetal neurobehavioral or neurodevelopmental assessment can be easily and readily performed. Using this technique, typical fetal movements and behavioral patterns have become apparent in all three trimesters of pregnancy. In twin pregnancy, 4-D ultrasound facilitates the precise evaluation of inter-twin contact and intra-pair stimulation. New fetal neurobehavioral assessment tests, such as Kurjak's Antenatal Neurodevelopmental Test and the Fetal Observable Movement System, may reflect the normal and abnormal neurological development of the fetus, and will facilitate more precise assessments of fetal neurobehavior or neurodevelopment, and fetal brain and central nervous system functions. In this review article, I also discuss interesting topics regarding maternal and fetal stress, fetal pain, and fetal consciousness. Four-dimensional ultrasound has opened the door to new scientific fields, such as 'fetal neurology' and 'fetal psychology,' and fetal neurobehavioral science is at the dawn of a new era. Knowledge on fetal neurobehavior and neurodevelopment will be advanced through fetal behavioral research using this technique.

show abstract

“…30,31,[42][43][44] 'However, 2D sonography requires frequent changes of the transducer to visualize both twins simultaneously; even then, complex contacts are not always fully demonstrated, and fetal movements outside the scanning plane cannot be displayed on the monitor because of the 2D character of real-time scanning'. 17 Sasaki et al 45 were the first to evaluate the total number of intertwin contact between monochorionic diamniotic (MD) and dichorionic diamniotic (DD) twins using 4D sonography late in the first trimester of pregnancy. Six MD and eight DD pregnancies were studied for 30 minutes with 4D sonography at 10 to 11 and 12 to 13 weeks of gestation, and a total of 10 intertwin contacts (head to head, head to arm, head to trunk, head to leg, arm to arm, arm to trunk, arm to leg, trunk to trunk, trunk to leg and leg to leg contact) were evaluated.…”

Section: Intertwin Contact and Intrapair Stimulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

4D Sonography in Assessment of Fetal Neurobehavior

Hata¹,

Sato²,

Kanenishi³

et al. 2012

Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT'Observation of fetal behavior reflects the functioning of the central nervous system, and behavioral assessment of the fetus enables the function of the brain to be examined'.1 The introduction of four-dimensional (4D) sonography techniques would facilitate fetal behavioral assessment in three dimensions in real time during pregnancy. We describe the latest 4D sonographic studies on fetal neurobehavior in all three trimesters of pregnancy. 4D sonography also facilitated the evaluation of interhuman contact and intrapair stimulation in twin pregnancies in utero. This novel technique may assist in the evaluation of fetal neurobehavior and intertwin contact and intrapair stimulation and offer potential advantages relative to conventional two-dimensional sonography. 4D sonography may become an important modality in future research on fetal neurobehavioral development and the prenatal identification of severely brain-damaged infants.

show abstract

Four‐dimensional sonographic assessment of inter‐twin contact late in the first trimester

Abstract: Four-dimensional sonography provides a means of evaluating inter-twin contact in the first trimester of pregnancy and could be an accurate and reliable tool in studies of inter-twin behavior.

Cited by 30 publications

References 24 publications

Fetal Behavior and Heart Rate in Twin Pregnancy: A Review

Fetal Behavior and Heart Rate in Twin Pregnancy: A Review

Current status of fetal neurodevelopmental assessment: Four‐dimensional ultrasound study

4D Sonography in Assessment of Fetal Neurobehavior

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About