Objective:

To report the case of a quadruplet pregnancy and conduct the review of the available literature regarding gestational age at which the type of placenta (monochorionic or polychorionic) is identified, the gestational age at which the pregnancy comes to an end, the weight of the neonate, and the frequency of prenatal care in this type of gestation.

Materials and methods:

Case report of a woman with a quadruplet pregnancy secondary to assisted reproduction technique, seen at a Level IV complexity centre in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia. A review of the literature was conducted in Medline vía PubMed, Embase, SciELO and UptoDate® databases using the search terms "multiple pregnancy," "quadruplets," "prenatal care," and "perinatal outcome". The search was limited by language to articles in English and Spanish.

Results:

Overall, 19 references that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were retrieved. There is no information on the required frequency of prenatal visits. It was possible to identify the type of placenta between 9 and 25 weeks; gestational age varied between 26 and 34 weeks. Weight varied between 1,076 and 1,770 g. Multigestation pregnancies are frequently associated with maternal and perinatal complications.

Conclusions:

Quadruplet pregnancies may be diagnosed early in the gestation. They are frequently associated with prematurity and low birth weight. Further studies are required in order to assess the safest and most effective way of managing this condition.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )