[Acute polyhydramnios in a twin pregnancy--case history of a successful therapy attempt]

Acute polyhydramnios is a rare complication in twin pregnancies. The perinatal mortality is about 100% without treatment. We present a case of twin pregnancy with an early acute polyhydramnios which was treated with serial transabdominal amniocentesis. 11 litres of amniotic fluid were removed and we succeeded to prolong the pregnancy by 13 weeks. In the 35th week of gestation, two healthy newborns were delivered by cesarean section. After exclusion of fetal malformations, we recommend the early beginning of serial amniocentesis to normalize the intrauterine pressure and to prevent premature labor or cervical incompetence. Compared to the poor prognosis of an untreated pregnancy, we consider the punction even of large volumes of amniotic fluid as a procedure of an acceptable risk.