A Herrin, Illinois couple expecting identical twin girls turned to worry when doctors diagnosed her with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This rare condition affects twins sharing a placenta. TTTS causes an imbalance in blood flow between twins, with one receiving too much while the other receives too little.
The couple was rushed to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where they met Dr. Kathy Bligard, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at WashU Medicine and associate director of the Fetal Care Center. She performed laser surgery to seal off the blood vessel connections between the twins and balance their circulation.
Dr. Bligard echoed the importance of access to specialized fetal care as she notes TTTS treatment has come a long way since the time the mom was diagnosed.
Years ago, there wasn’t a surgery for this, now, we can intervene much earlier and save lives.
Dr. Bligard