Single center experience in selective feticide in high-order multiple pregnancy: clinical and ethical issues

This paper describes the 20-year experience with selective feticide (SF) of high-order multiple quadruplet and higher pregnancies in a single center.

The paper describes protocols, procedures, management, outcomes, and ethical issues.

SF was performed in 49 pregnancies with 244 fetuses, with median gestational age of 12+2 weeks. The initial number was nine (one case), eight (one case), seven (three cases), six (11 cases), five (eight cases), and four (27 cases). Nuchal translucency was utilized prior to the procedure starting in 1996. The technique was transabdominal ultrasound-guided and intrathoracic injection of potassium chloride. One pregnancy (with seven fetuses) was reduced to three, 42 to two, and four (starting with four fetuses) to singletons. There were ten pregnancy losses (20.4%). A decreasing trend in losses was evident over the 20-year time period: 7/23 (30.4%) from 1994 to 2004 down to 3/26 (11.5%) for 2004-2014. No chromosomal abnormalities were present in any of the survivors. The ethical issues focus on the justification of SF in high-order multifetal pregnancies.

In this series, pregnancy loss decreased with operator experience. Excellent outcomes can be achieved with the ethically justified use of feticide in high-order multiple pregnancies.