‘My identical twin girls were saved by laser surgery in the womb’
A MOTHER today described how laser surgery in the womb saved the lives of her identical twin daughters.
Alexandra Heavey, 38, had the emergency procedure at St George’s hospital, Tooting, eight days after a 16-week scan showed an uneven volume of amniotic fluid around the twins.
She was diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a rare but life-threatening condition that causes an unequal flow of blood between identical twins sharing a placenta.
One twin does not receive enough blood and nutrients and becomes anaemic. The other receives too much blood, causing heart and circulation problems.
Mrs Heavey, who works as a doula, a trained non-medic who supports women through labour and birth, had intrauterine laser ablation surgery in November last year. She was “very much conscious” during the procedure, which took about 45 minutes and was performed by Professor Basky Thilaganathan.
Mrs Heavey, who lives with husband Nicholas in Morden, said: “We were absolutely terrified. I knew what the potential [worst] outcome could be.
“I had stupidly spent time on TTTS websites and that put more fear in my head than anything.”
A scan five hours after surgery revealed it had been a success. Mrs Heavey said: “I held my breath while Professor Thilaganathan scanned me, but he very quickly said, ‘There you go, there are your two girls’ heartbeats and they look good’. I burst into tears of relief.”
The twins were born on February 18, at 32 weeks’ gestation. Olivia came first, weighing 1.6kg (3lb 8oz) followed by Charlotte, at 2.02kg (4lb 7oz). The girls are now seven months old and “absolutely fine”. Mrs Heavey said: “They’re stubborn like their mother, and are rolling absolutely everywhere.”
During the procedure, an instrument called a fetoscope is inserted via a cut in the abdominal wall and uterus.
A laser fibre is inserted into the fetoscope to seal off blood vessels in the placenta, so both babies receive a more equal supply of blood. Excess amniotic fluid is also removed. If left untreated, there was a 90 per cent chance neither would have survived.
There are about 400 cases of TTTS in the UK each year. Professor Thilaganathan said: “This is a fantastic outcome.”