Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J P Legay.
Sixteen (16) cases of delayed births have been reported in the literature. All of these patients obtained at least one live child. This method can, therefore, be suggested in cases of premature birth after less than 28 weeks of amenorrhea for patients who present with a multiple, pluriamniotic pregnancy.
The authors report a new case of a triplet pregnancy in which an abortion occurred in the second trimester and twins were delivered at the 33rd week of gestation. The authors point out that it is possible to carry out a cerclage when a fetus and placenta are retained without necessarily causing an infection with clinical symptoms; but the authors do point out that there is always the possibility of infecting the mother and the fetus. As to the prognosis for the fetus, it is better it is given an opportunity to grow further in spite of the risk of infection.
At 26 weeks' gestation, the patient gave birth to 2 premature infants who did not survive. Following this delivery, under general anaesthesia and infusions of tocolytic drugs and antibiotics the uterus was washed with Ringer's lactate solution and cerclage of the cervix was performed after ligation and section of the two umbilical cord flush with the cervix. The "second delivery" was delayed by 3 weeks; the child weighed 1,150 grams at birth and survived. Six similar cases (including ours) have been published, and in each of them one living child was obtained. The above technique can therefore be recommended, in case of premature delivery before 28 weeks of gestation, for women with multiple pluriamniotic pregnancy.