Laser Surgery In Womb Heals Twins’ Rare Illness | Nagpur News – Times of India

Nagpur: In what is claimed to be a medical first for Central India, doctors at a private hospital in Nagpur successfully performed a complex surgery to treat a rare condition called Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). This process, known as Fetoscopic Laser Surgery, offers a lifeline to twins who share a placenta but experience an unequal blood flow.
Gynaecologist Dr Chaitanya Shembekar explained, “Imagine twins sharing a room (placenta) and their blood vessels. In TTTS, one twin (donor) ends up giving away too much blood, while the other (recipient) gets extra blood. Due to this imbalance, the donor twin can become anaemic and weak, while the recipient can suffer from heart problems because of receiving too much blood. Sadly, without treatment, TTTS can lead to the death of one or both twins,” he said.

The surgery was performed by foetal medicine expert Dr Prathima Radhakrishnan, Dr Vaishali Mundhe Akarte (foetal medicine), Dr Chaitanya Shembekar and anaesthesiologist Dr Manisha Shembekar. Doctors used a special telescope called a fetoscope, inserted through a tiny incision in the mother’s abdomen, to view the twins and placenta inside the womb. Using the fetoscope as a guide, a laser beam carefully sealed off the abnormal blood vessels connecting twins. This created more balanced “room” for each twin, preventing the unequal blood flow.
“The successful completion of this surgery in Nagpur marks a significant milestone,” claimed Dr Shembekar adding that previously, such complex foetal surgeries were only available at a few centers in India. “This new capability puts Nagpur on the map for providing advanced prenatal care for mothers carrying twins with TTTS,” he added.

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