Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Rachipagus conjoined twins: they really do occur!

R Spencer1

  • 1Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.

Teratology
|December 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

The study redefines rachipagus twins, previously thought mythical. Reviewing 1,200 conjoined twins revealed a classic case, leading to reclassification of 20 parasitic twins as rachipagus, suggesting a new embryologic origin theory.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Perinatal medicine's best treatment: how should we be using antenatal steroids?

Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition·2024
Same author

Patient empowerment improves follow-up data collection after fetal surgery for spina bifida: institutional audit.

Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology·2023
Same author

A high-density 3-dimensional culture model of human glioblastoma for rapid screening of therapeutic resistance.

Biochemical pharmacology·2023
Same author

Identifying self-report measures of emotion regulation and evaluating their psychometric properties: a protocol for a systematic review.

BMJ open·2022
Same author

The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-Positive scale (CAPE-P15) accurately classifies and differentiates psychotic experience levels in adolescents from the general population.

PloS one·2021
Same author

Magnetic resonance imaging measurement of placental perfusion and oxygen saturation in early-onset fetal growth restriction.

BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·2020

Area of Science:

  • Embryology
  • Teratology
  • Medical Genetics

Background:

  • Conjoined twins present diverse classifications.
  • Rachipagus twins, defined by dorsal union, have been debated.
  • Previous literature suggested rachipagus twins were rare or mythical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the existence and characteristics of rachipagus twins.
  • To re-evaluate classifications of dorsal parasitic twins.
  • To propose an embryologic theory for rachipagus twin formation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of over 1,200 cases of conjoined twins.
  • Radiographic analysis (roentgenograms) of identified cases.
  • Reclassification of 20 dorsal parasitic twins based on new criteria.

Main Results:

  • One classic case of rachipagus twins with vertebral fusion (T6-L3) was identified.
  • Twenty dorsal parasitic twins were reclassified as rachipagus.
  • Reclassified cases exhibited dorsal midline fusion, vertebral anomalies, and/or neural connections.

Conclusions:

  • Rachipagus twins are a valid entity, not a myth.
  • A novel embryologic theory involving two opposing embryonic discs is proposed.
  • The findings contribute to the ongoing "fission or fusion" debate in conjoined twinning.

Related Experiment Videos