Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in Congenital Heart Disease
Published on: July 18, 2014
Congenital Heart Defects in Monochorionic Twins: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Manon Gijtenbeek1, Maryam R Shirzada2, Arend D J Ten Harkel3
1Division of Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, NL-2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. m.gijtenbeek@lumc.nl.
Abstract:
Monochorionic (MC) twins are at an increased risk of developing congenital heart defects (CHDs) compared to singletons and dichorionic twins. The development of acquired CHDs in this specific group of twins is associated with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide an overview of the reported birth prevalence of CHDs in liveborn MC twins with and without TTTS. Twelve studies were included in this review. Compared to the reference population, MC twins were 6.3 times more likely to be born with a CHD (59.3 per 1000 liveborn twins; relative risk (RR) 6.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.4-9.1), and TTTS twins had a 12-fold increased risk of having a CHD at birth (87.3 per 1000 live births; RR 12.4, 95% CI: 8.6-17.8). The increased incidence of CHDs can mainly be attributed to the risk of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (35/1000 TTTS twin live births vs. 0.5/1000 singleton live births). We recommend an expert fetal echocardiogram in all MC twins, follow-up scans in the event of TTTS, and a postnatal cardiac evaluation in all TTTS survivors.
More Related Videos
08:28Analysis of Congenital Heart Defects in Mouse Embryos Using Qualitative and Quantitative Histological Methods
Published on: March 10, 2020
09:04Guide Wire Assisted Catheterization and Colored Dye Injection for Vascular Mapping of Monochorionic Twin Placentas
Published on: September 5, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Review and Preview
Percentiles are a type of fractile that partition data into...
Review and Preview
Random and Systematic Errors
Directing Effect of Substituents: meta-Directing Groups
Systematic Sampling Method
Systematic sampling is one of the simplest methods...
Lumber Defects
Shakes are minor fractures that run along or across the wood's annual rings, while wane is...