Twins Saved; "The Odds Were Getting Worse"
If nothing was done, there was a 90 to 95 percent chance that they would die
Today, Milo and Axel are healthy toddlers independent of each other.
At 17 weeks into her pregnancy, Joanna Crane found out that her twins were dying inside of her.
They had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, which occurs when both fetuses share the same placenta and blood vessels. Milo was getting too much blood and straining his heart, while Axel was blood depleted. Because their lives were linked together by the blood vessels that they share, death of one twin can cause brain damage or death to the other twin.
Something had to be done, but it was risky. Any wrong move, and the still growing fetuses could abort spontaneously.
If nothing was done, there was a 90 to 95 percent chance that they would die
"Every day that went by, the odds were getting worse and worse. It was really scary and heartbreaking to see," Crane said.
She sought help at the fetal therapy program at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Fetal surgeon Dr. Ramen Chmait was doing a cutting-edge surgery, using a laser to address the problem.
"It unlinks their fate so that god forbid, something happens to one twin, it will not cause death or brain damage to the second twin," Chmait said.
Using a catheter, Chmait went inside the womb through a small incision and used the laser to cut through the shared blood vessels.
"Through that laser fiber, we are able to put laser energy directly on the blood vessels and laser occlude them. And by doing so, it completely separates the twins from each other," Chmait said.
The first 24 hours after the surgery were the most critical.
"These babies were hooked up to each other their whole lives, and in about 30 minutes time, they are separated from each other. That leads to changes in blood pressure, changes in how they get oxygen; this can put stress on the baby," Chmait said.
The next morning, Alex and Milo both had a heartbeat on the ultrasound.
"It was like hooray, we took that to be a really good sign everything was going to be fine," Crain said.
And about three months later, they were born, a little premature but separated.
And today, Milo and Axel are healthy toddlers independent of each other.
"I feel very blessed, very lucky," Crane said.
Chmait says that all twins should be checked for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome early in the pregnancy.
