VERY PROLONGED MEMBRANE RUPTURE AND DELAYED DELIVERY OF THE SECOND TWIN

Objectives: To present the complications of twin pregnancies with dela yed delivery of the second twin, 32 days after expulsion of the first twin. Case: A 29-year-old woman with a twin pregnancy at gestational a ge 13 weeks and 5 days presenting with a rupture of the membranes of t he first twin. At 21 completed weeks the umbilical cord prolapsed and at 23 weeks the first twin was stillborn with the placenta in the uter us. After maternal septicemia the second twin was delivered by cesaria n section, at 28 complete weeks, liveborn. The mother and child were d ischarged from hospital 10 weeks later, corresponding to 38 completed weeks of pregnancy. Conclusions: A very early premature rupture of mem brane (PROM) occurs more often in twin pregnancies. The delivery of on e twin most often results in expulsion of the second twin. With FROM t here is a great risk of chorioamnionitis, as in our case, which result ed in an acute cesarean section. In this case, conservative management achieved a viable fetus in spite of very early and serious complicati ons.