Twin Deliveries - East Meets West.

Abstract

Mode of delivery in twin gestation has been a matter of debate for decades. In 2013, the only randomized controlled trial concerning mode of delivery in twin gestations was published, answering some of the most pressing questions in this matter. The Twin Birth Study randomized patients carrying dichorionic-diamniotic or monochorionic-diamniotic twins, with the first twin in cephalic presentation, between 32 and 39 weeks of gestation, to planned vaginal vs. planned cesarean delivery, and found no significant differences in perinatal or maternal outcomes. These clinical findings greatly benefit our clinical practice, but there lacks related study investigating how the practices have changed. In this review, we searched PubMed from 1980 through January 2021 using combinations of the following terms: twin, delivery, vaginal delivery, and cesarean section. We will try to address the known literature before and after the publication of the Twin Birth Study in western countries and compare that to what has been practiced in China.