Hydatidiform mole with coexisting twin pregnancy after gamete intra-fallopian transfer

Complete hydatidiform mole in higher-order multiple pregnancies

Molar degeneration of the trophoblast is a rare, yet possible, complication of pregnancies. Complete hydatidiform mole is the most common histological type among all trophoblastic tumors and it is the result of the fertilization of an empty oocyte from two sperms or by one sperm that then duplicates. Complete mole is characterized by hydropic degeneration of abnormal chorionic villi, diffused trophoblast hyperplasia and the absence of identifiable embryonic or fetal tissue; the hyperplastic trophoblast justifies the common finding of high serum beta HCG levels. Twin molar pregnancy is an uncommon obstetric event, and even less frequent are triplet/quadruplet molar pregnancies. We hereby report a case of a complete hydatidiform mole with two coexistent fetuses in a triplet pregnancy after in vitro fertilization procedure; the pregnancy ended with a therapeutic abortion. During the follow-up, the serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin concentration started to rise, and the diagnosis of post-molar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia was made and consequently methotrexate treatment was started. Due to the rarity of this condition, there are no specific guidelines for the management of multiple pregnancies complicated by complete hydatidiform mole. We therefore performed a review of the literature including all reported cases of triplets/quadruplets pregnancies complicated by complete mole of a fetus focusing on ultrasound diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of this rare and life-threatening condition.

Complete Molar Pregnancies with a Coexisting Fetus: Pregnancy Outcomes and Review of Literature

Objective  The objective of the study was to review the obstetric outcomes of complete hydatidiform molar pregnancies with a coexisting fetus (CHMCF), a rare clinical entity that is not well described. Materials and Methods  We performed a retrospective case series with pathology-confirmed HMCF. The cases were collected via solicitation through a private maternal-fetal medicine physician group on social media. Each contributing institution from across the United States ( n  = 9) obtained written informed consent from the patients directly, obtained institutional data transfer agreements as required, and transmitted the data using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant modality. Data collected included maternal, fetal/genetic, placental, and delivery characteristics. For descriptive analysis, continuous variables were reported as median with standard deviation and range. Results  Nine institutions contributed to the 14 cases collected. Nine (64%) cases of CHMCF were a product of assisted reproductive technology and one case was trizygotic. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 12 weeks and 2 days (9 weeks-19 weeks and 4 days), and over half were diagnosed in the first trimester. The median human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at diagnosis was 355,494 mIU/mL (49,770-700,486 mIU/mL). Placental mass size universally enlarged over the surveillance period. When invasive testing was performed, insufficient sample or no growth was noted in 40% of the sampled cases. Antenatal complications occurred in all delivered patients, with postpartum hemorrhage (71%) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (29%) being the most frequent outcomes. Delivery outcomes were variable. Four patients developed gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Conclusion  This series is the largest report of obstetric outcomes for CHMCF to date and highlights the need to counsel patients about the severe maternal and fetal complications in continuing pregnancies, including progression to gestational trophoblastic neoplastic disease. Key Points CHMCF is a rare obstetric complication and may be associated with the use of assisted reproductive technology.Universally, patients with CHMCF who elected to manage expectantly developed antenatal complications.The risk of developing gestational trophoblastic neoplasia after CHMCF is high, and termination of the pregnancy did not decrease this risk.

Are fertility drugs a risk factor for persistent trophoblastic tumour?

BACKGROUND

The introduction of ovulation-inducing drugs has raised concern that women exposed to these therapies may be at increased risk of cancer. We assessed the potential association between exposure to fertility drugs and the risk of developing persistent trophoblastic tumour (PTT).

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of the English and non-English language literature using the National Library of Medicine's Medline to identify all observations of patients with hydatidiform mole (HM) after treatment with ovulation-inducers.

RESULTS

Fifty-two cases were considered including 26 singleton molar pregnancies and 26 multiple molar pregnancies consisting of an HM and one or more co-existent fetus(es) (HM-and-CF). PTT occurred in 15% of patients with singleton HM and in 42% of patients with HM-and-CF, 15% of whom had a metastatic disease. Of those patients with HM-and-CF, 16 patients delivered at <24 weeks gestation, mostly because of vaginal haemorrhage. Ten patients delivered at > or = 24 weeks of gestation, six of whom (25%) had a normal live child. These results are similar to spontaneously conceived pregnancies.

CONCLUSIONS

Although women having an HM after therapy with ovulation-inducing drugs seem to have no added risk of PTT, multiple pregnancies are more likely to occur, and the overall risk may be increased.

Triplet pregnancy with hydatidiform mole

Multiple pregnancies with hydatidiform mole are rare. We describe here a patient who delivered a male fetus and a female fetus together with molar tissue following treatment for infertility. comparing microsatellite polymorphisms in the DNA from the patient, her partner, the two normal placentas and the molar tissue, we were able to show that this was a triplet pregnancy with two normal conceptions and a complete hydatidiform mole of monospermic origin.

Clinical management of a quadruplet pregnancy combining a triplet pregnancy with a classical hydatidiform mole: case report and review of literature

A 28-year-old Taiwanese woman who had received ovulation induction by clomiphene citrate (CC), follicular-stimulating hormone (FSH), and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) treatment was diagnosed with a quadruplet pregnancy containing a hydatidiform mole and three fetuses at nine weeks' gestation. Expectant management failed to achieve any viable neonate due to massive antepartum haemorrhage and preterm delivery at 25 weeks' gestation. Five other cases previously reported involving quadruplets or triplets with a complete hydatidiform mole and two or three fetuses are reviewed. All cases ended as premature non-viable fetuses. Analysis of the clinical features, management, and outcome both in our patient and these reports suggest that more efficacious treatment planning, such as selective feticide, should be considered in order to improve the likelihood of attaining an advanced gestational age for a single fetus.

Complete hydatidiform mole in twin pregnancy: differentiation from partial mole with interphase cytogenetic and DNA cytometric analyses on paraffin embedded tissues

Six cases of hydatidiform mole associated with normal chorionic villi and a normal embryo/fetus (in five cases) were investigated with interphase cytogenetic and DNA cytometric analyses for diagnostic purposes. DNA probes specific for the pericentromeric regions of chromosomes 1 and X and for the long arm of chromosome Y were used. In four cases a dizygotic twin pregnancy could be proven. In these cases, the histologically normal chorionic villi showed an XY DNA-diploid pattern, consistent with a normal male conceptus, and the molar chorionic villi a XX pattern. In the other two cases an identical sex chromosomal pattern was found in the normal and in the molar villi (XX/XX and XY/XY respectively). In all six cases the molar placental tissues showed prominent trophoblastic hyperplasia with DNA-polyploidy, consistent with a complete hydatidiform mole. In two cases persistent gestational trophoblastic disease developed. It is emphasized that twin pregnancies composed of a normal conceptus and a complete mole have a relatively high risk for the development of persistent trophoblastic disease and therefore, should be carefully differentiated from triploid partial moles with a relatively low risk of persistent gestational trophoblastic disease. These case reports indicate that additional interphase cytogenetic and DNA cytometric analyses are useful in this differential diagnosis.