Medical team at DY Patil Hospital extract the lump in a six-hour-long surgery from the Nepal citizen
When 18-month-old Atul’s (name changed) mother took him to a doctor to diagnose the cause of his recurrent pain and swelling in the stomach, no one was prepared for what the examination was about to reveal. The family from Nepal was advised to take the child to a tertiary care hospital, stating there was a lump in the baby’s stomach.
The family then brought Atul to Dr DY Patil Hospital and Research Centre, Pimpri. Doctors at the hospital’s radiologist department — Dr Vikas Jadhav and Dr Sanjay Khaladkar — conducted a scan and other tests and found that the child had developed a rare case of fetus in fetu (or foetus in foetu).
The condition is identified as a developmental abnormality in which a mass of tissue resembling a foetus forms inside the body of a living newborn. In this extremely rare condition, so far recorded merely 200 times globally, a malformed and parasitic foetus is located in the body of its twin, said the doctors.
Paediatric surgeon Dr Pranav Jadhav and his team immediately took Atul for a surgery. In the six-hour long procedure performed last week at the hospital, doctors removed the parasitic foetus weighing some 550 gm, giving Atul a new lease of life.
Elaborating on the operation, Dr Jadhav said, “The child had a history of swelling in the tummy for a while, and a lump had formed in his abdomen. Due to the lump, the child was unable to eat properly and had recurrent abdominal pain. The mass had taken shape between his liver and the right kidney. The dead foetus had developed toe fingers, skin, hair, bones and a few other organs, as visible through the microscope.”
Atul will be discharged in a couple of days. Doctors treating the infant informed that a series of tests were conducted on the child to check if he has developed any other conditions or complication because of the foetus formation.
The medical team in charge of his case has claimed that Atul is absolutely fine and can go back to living a normal life. The hospital administration has further said that since Atul’s family belongs to a financially weaker section, the hospital has waved off the entire operational charges and the medical facility was offered for free to Atul.
Speaking to Mirror, Atul’s mother, said, “My son had stopped eating properly for a while now and was under-nourished. We had consulted several doctors in Nepal, but their intervention did not really help. When the doctors at DY Patil Hospital finally enlightened us about Atul’s condition, we were left dumbfounded. We are very happy that the surgery was successful and that my son can now lead a normal life. We thank the doctors and the hospital for providing the treatment free of cost.”
Due to the lump, the child was unable to eat properly and had recurrent abdominal pain —
Dr Pranav Jadhav, paediatric surgeon, Dr DY Patil Hospital
Courtesy: Pune Mirror
fetus in fetu India, fetus in fetu India
