Recovery of second trimester pre-eclampsia after fetal reduction of a triplet

BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Sep 18;12(9):e227667. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2018-227667.

Abstract

Women with a multiple pregnancy are at increased risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. We describe a case of a dichorionic triamniotic triplet pregnancy complicated by severe hypertension, proteinuria and maternal symptoms, fitting with the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, apart from the early gestational age of only 16 weeks. After reduction of the monochorionic pair, the disease resolved and pre-eclampsia was diagnosed again at 30 weeks of gestation, resulting in a delivery on maternal indication at 33 weeks of gestation. In a review of the literature, we found six papers including eight cases on multifetal pregnancy reduction on maternal indication. Multifetal pregnancy reduction resulted in a prolongation of pregnancy of two to 21 weeks and may be considered in extreme early onset pre-eclampsia in dichorionic multiple pregnancies.

Keywords: Obstetrics And Gynaecology; Pregnancy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Fetal Growth Retardation / diagnostic imaging
  • Gestational Age
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Pre-Eclampsia / diagnosis
  • Pre-Eclampsia / prevention & control*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Pregnancy Reduction, Multifetal / methods*
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Second
  • Pregnancy, Triplet / physiology*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Triplets