Fetus in Fetu: Rare case reported in 40-day-old baby in Bihar

Bihar: A rare medical anomaly has come to light in Bihar's Motihari, where a fetus was being developed inside the stomach of a 40-day-old infant.

Recently, a 40-day-old baby was brought to the Rahmania Medical Center in Motihari for treatment. The doctor was told that the child was bloated near his stomach. Due to the bloating, the baby was not able to urinate properly. To find out the reason behind the bloating, the doctor got the child examined.

To find out the reason for the bloating of the stomach and the stoppage of urine, Dr Tabrez Aziz of Rahmania Medical Center prescribed a CT scan for the patient. But the child's test results left everyone in shock after the doctors found that another fetus had developed inside his stomach. 

Also read- Rare Fetus In Fetu: Indian Baby Boy Born Pregnant With His Twin

Speaking to ANI about this rare phenomenon, Dr Tabrez Aziz in the medical language it is called 'Fetus in Fetu' or the presence of a fetus in the stomach of the child.

He said that this is a rare case that happens only occurs in one out of five lakh patients.

"A rare medical anomaly has come to light where a fetus was seen developing inside the stomach of a 40-day-old infant. It is called fetus in fetu. The infant has undergone surgery, condition stable," said Dr Aziz.

Dr Aziz said that the child, who became a witness to the unique enchantment of nature, is now completely fine after surgery and now the child has been discharged from the hospital. 

Also read- Doctors Remove 8-Years-Old's Twin Entrapped In His Abdomen- Fetus In Fetu

What is Fetus-in-fetu (FIF)?

Fetus in fetu (FIF) is a rare congenital anomaly. It is a condition in which a malformed and parasitic fetus is located in the body of its twin. The anomaly was first defined in the early nineteenth century by Meckel. Despite its prevalence among infants and children, there have been reports of cases in which the anomaly had remained asymptomatic until later ages. "Fetus in fetu" is estimated to occur in 1 in 500,000 live births.

A rare case like this was also found in Mumbai, India in 2017 which was reported by the Medical Dialogues Team where doctors at Mumbra's Bilal Hospital came across a rare abnormality during a routine scan of the mother in early July. According to radiologist Dr Bhavna Thorat, the abnormality was inside a fetal sac of the newborn and there appeared to be another small baby' inside the newborn's abdomen. Their doubt was confirmed when a baby was born after 9 days, it was indeed a rare case of Fetus in fetu twin pregnancy.