Varanasi: Doctors at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Hospital here have successfully removed two stillborn male foetuses from the abdomen of a two-and-a-half month old boy, officials said Tuesday.

It is called 'foetus in foetu'. In other words, the boy, Durgesh, had two parasitic twins growing inside his belly.

The undeveloped but parasite twins would have turned fatal for Durgesh if not removed, as according to doctors they were surviving on his blood supply.

"The undeveloped twins were surviving on the abdominal aorta (the largest artery in abdominal cavity) of Durgesh," said A.N. Gangopadhyay, head of pediatric surgery department at the BHU Hospital, who led the surgery team Monday.

The twins conjoined with each other through umbilical chord had developed brain, upper and lower limbs, spine, eyes and nose, besides external male genitalia, but had no heart or mouth.

The two parasite twins were attached to Durgesh's body through stomach, pancreas, duodenum and other parts, Gangopadhyay explained.

'Foetus in foetu' is a developmental abnormality in which a foetus gets enveloped inside its twin and an entire living organ system with torso and limbs could develop inside the host.

"We have dealt with surgical success in four cases of foetus in foetu, all in girl children in the last 30 years. But never in the past have we operated a male child with undeveloped foetus inside and that too twin foetuses," Gangopadhyay said.

Durgesh is well, according to doctors and will be discharged from the hospital in a week.

First child of daily wager Hemant Bharti and Radhika Devi from Rampur Sohav village Ballia district, Durgesh was admitted to the BHU Hospital Friday and after detailed tests, the surgeons detected a foetus inside the foetu.

Before being admitted to the hospital, Durgesh was vomitting continously and had developed swelling near his stomach.

 

Source : IANS