The North American Fetal Therapy Network consensus statement: prenatal surveillance of uncomplicated monochorionic

Mert Ozan Bahtiyar1, Stephen P Emery, Jodi S Dashe

  • 1Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas; the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, and Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Evergreen Hospital, Kirkland, Washington; the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, and the Fetal Treatment Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; the Divisions of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Hospital Queens, New York, New York, and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; and the Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Because they share a common placenta, monochorionic gestations are subject to unique pregnancy complications that can threaten the life and health of both fetuses and therefore impose a disproportionate disease burden on overall perinatal morbidity and mortality. Early detection of these unique disease processes may allow for prompt referral to a regional treatment center, comprehensive counseling, and better patient outcomes. The North American Fetal Therapy Network is a consortium of 30 medical institutions in the United States and Canada with established expertise in fetal surgery and other forms of multidisciplinary care for complex fetal disorders. The goal of this publication is to briefly describe complications of monochorionic gestations and to provide multidisciplinary, evidence-based, and consensus-driven recommendations for surveillance of uncomplicated monochorionic gestations.