Twin pregnancies at federal medical centre Katsina: A 5 year review

Background: Multiple gestation is associated with higher risk of maternal complications in the antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods compared with singleton pregnancies, as well as higher risk for perinatal morbidity and mortality. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and obstetric outcomes of twin deliveries in Federal Medical Centre Katsina. Methods: It is a retrospective study of twin deliveries over a 5-year period from January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2014 conducted at the Federal Medical Centre Katsina (FMCK), Katsina state. Results: There were 172 cases of twin deliveries out of 9,947 deliveries giving an overall twinning rate of 17.3 per 1,000 deliveries. There were three cases of triplet delivery during this period. The most common complication was preterm delivery which occurred in 40.1% of cases. The mode of delivery was vaginal in 64.5% while 35.5% had caesarean section. Emergency caesarean section for delivery of both babies was carried out in 24.42% while elective caesarean section for both babies accounted for 8.72%. Combined vaginal and abdominal delivery occurred in 2.33% of deliveries. The stillbirth rate was 81.4 per 1,000 births. There were 11 (6.4%) and 17 (9.9%) stillbirths among the first and the second babies respectively. Babies that had normal birth weight constituted 42.2%. The male to female ratio was 1:1.15. Conclusion: The rate of twin deliveries in our centre is high. There is also associated high rate of maternal complications and adverse perinatal outcomes.