ANTENATAL FETAL DEMISE IN MULTIPLE GESTATION - THE OUTCOME OF SURVIVING FETUS AT ONE TO 4 YEARS OF AGE

The outcome of 26 multifetal pregnancies with single fetal demise afte r 12 weeks of pregnancy cared for at the University Medical School of Zagreb from 1986 to 1991 is presented. Growth retardation of dead and surviving infant and pathohistological findings consistent with reduce d uterine blood flow to cotyledonary space was the most frequent compl ication, irrespective of the type of placentation. Perinatal infection was the most frequent neonatal complication. Neonatal asphyxia was ob served in only one infant. The outcome at 1-4 years of age was perfect in 14 out of 15 surviving infants for whom data are available. An ear ly diagnosis of multifetal pregnancy, based essentially on ultrasonogr aphy and appropriate monitoring of the mother and the survivor, with c esarean delivery carried out at first signs of imminent asphyxia, is t he best guarantee for a favorable outcome.