Dead Fetus Found Inside 4-Year-Old Boy Complaining Of Stomach Pain

In yet another rare medical case, a dead fetus was surgically removed from the abdomen of a 4-year-old boy in Midnapore district of West Bengal in India. The boy had complained of severe and constant abdominal pain before a dead fetus was found inside his stomach.

The medical abnormality that the boy suffered from is called "foetus in foetu" meaning a baby within a baby. The condition is extremely rare and affects one in every 500,000 to 600,000 live births. Only 100 cases of the condition have been reported in the world so far.

The little boy was admitted to a hospital after complaining of severe ache in the abdomen. The doctors initially suspected a stomach tumor. However, they were left shocked when a CT scan revealed the presence of a dead fetus inside the stomach of the little boy.

The doctors removed the fetus from the boy and confirmed the presence of a partially-formed head, legs, hands and nails in the dead embryo. The Mirror reported that the boy is doing fine and is currently under observation at the hospital.

The foetus in foetu condition occurs during the early stage of pregnancy when one of the two joined twins enters the other through the umbilical cord. The enveloped or parasitic twin, therefore, depends on the host twin for survival. Although after birth the enveloped twin turns into an abdominal mass, it still poses a risk to the health of the host twin.