RENAL-FAILURE IN THE SURVIVING MONOCHORIONIC TWIN AFTER DEATH OF THE COTWIN IN-UTERO

Renal failure in the newborn infant is mainly determined by vascular c auses. In this report we describe a patient with a particular vascular cause of renal failure. The patient was the product of a twin pregnan cy in which the twin partner died in utero. In retrospect, the twins a ppeared to be monozygotic. As the pregnancy was studied carefully pren atally by ultrasound, we were able to observe the development of this condition, characterized by oliguria, oligohydramnios, and lung hypopl asia: the oligohydramnios sequence. After organ development had been n ormal initially, renal function was lost and the oligohydramnios seque nce developed in the survivor after the cotwin had died in utero.