Ablation of acardiac twin by alcohol injection into the intra-abdominal umbilical artery

Abstract

Direct ultrasound-guided intravascular injection of absolute alcohol is an easy and straightforward technique to occlude circulation to the acardiac twin. This vessel can be identified easily by color Doppler ultrasonography away from the main venous trunk. Selection of this target, rather than occlusion at the level of the umbilical cord, could reduce the risks of cord accidents and inadvertent intravenous injection of the ablative material.