Foetus Found Growing Inside 40-Day-Old Baby In Bihar: Know More About The Rare Condition ‘Fetus In Fetu’

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A foetus was observed growing inside the stomach of a 40-day-old infant in Bihar's Motihari district in a rare medical situation.

The condition was discovered when the new-born was admitted to the hospital due to bloating and discomfort when urinating. After several tests, doctors concluded that the infant was suffering from 'fetus in fetu'.

The newborn was brought to Rahmania Medical Centre for surgery, which was successfully completed. Dr Tabrez Aziz of the Rahmania Medical Centre said, "The infant has undergone surgery, and his condition is stable". According to him, "a fetus was observed developing inside the stomach of a 40-day-old infant." This condition is known as fetus in fetu.

What Is Fetus In Fetu?

The condition known as fetus in fetu or foetus in foetu is a developmental anomaly where a mass of tissue resembling a fetus develops in the body of its twin. An early example of the phenomenon was described in 1808 by George William Young [1].

Fetus in fetu can be considered alive, but only because their component tissues have not yet died or been eradicated. Therefore, the life of a fetus in utero resembles the life of a tumour because its cells remain viable by way of regular metabolic activity.

Generally, it is located in the retroperitoneal areas (area behind the peritoneum, the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in the abdomen); however, it has been reported in other locations as well [2].

Physically, its organs receive blood from the host, but all cases of fetus in fetu contain critical defects, such as no functioning nervous system, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal system, or urinary system.

Consequently, even though a fetus in fetu may share some of the same morphological characteristics as a normal fetus, it has no possibility of surviving outside the host twin. Furthermore, it poses clear threats to the host twin, upon whom it depends for survival.

What Causes Fetus In Fetu?

There are two possible hypotheses regarding the origin of the fetus in fetu. According to one theory, the mass initially begins as a normal fetus but becomes encased inside its twin. Another possibility is that the mass is a highly developed teratoma (a rare type of germ cell tumour that can contain teeth, hair, bones, and muscles) [3].

How Many Cases Have Been Reported Yet?

It has been reported that despite its prevalence among infants and children, cases have occurred where the anomaly was asymptomatic for an extended period. Since it was first defined in the nineteenth century, this rare congenital anomaly has been reported fewer than 200 cases have been reported in the medical literature [4].

It occurs in approximately one in 500 000 live births.