TWIN PREGNANCY OUTCOMES WHEN DATING BY THE LARGER, SMALLER OR MEAN TWIN
CROWN-RUMP LENGTH: A COHORT STUDY
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the impact of twin dating by
ultrasound-measured crown-rump length (CRL) of the larger (CRL-L),
smaller (CRL-S) or mean twin measurement (CRL-M) on the rates of preterm
birth (PTB) and detection of fetal growth restriction. Design:
A cohort study. Setting: A tertiary fetal medicine centre
(London, UK). Population or sample: All twin pregnancies
between 1998 and 2023 who underwent ultrasound assessment of first
trimester CRL and fetal growth. Methods: Data collection
included CRL measurement, estimated fetal weight (EFW), pregnancy
outcome and birthweight (BW) for each twin. Pregnancies were
retrospectively re-dated by CRL-S, CRL-L and CRL-M. Main outcome
measures: Small for gestational age (SGA) <10
th centile and PTB rates. Results: Of the
1129 twin pairs median CRL was 61mm (IQR:56.0-66.0) and 63mm
(IQR:58.4-68.9) for the smaller and larger twin respectively with a mean
discordance of 4.0%. Prenatal SGA diagnosis occurred in 19.8% and
23.1% of smaller twins when dated by CRL-S and CRL-L respectively. When
pregnancies were dated by CRL-M versus CRL-S or CRL-L there was no
difference in prenatal SGA diagnosis (p=0.275 and p=0.419); SGA at birth
(p=0.132 and p=0.325); or PTB (p=1.00 and p=0.765 respectively).
Conclusions: Dating by the smaller, larger or mean-twin CRL
doesn’t significantly alter rates of extreme preterm birth, SGA
detection or SGA birth. Dating by the mean twin CRL reduces
stigmatisation of the smaller twin, alleviating parental anxiety, whilst
retaining the utility of accurate gestational age assessment without
impacting on clinical outcomes.