Fetus in Fetu: Malformed Fetus Trapped in Their Twin's Body

Fetus in Fetu is a very rare condition that occurs when a malformed fetus is trapped in their twin's body. There are approximately 100 know cases of fetus in fetu, and their is an occurrence of this rare condition in 1 out of 500,000 births. There are activities that happen when the malformed fetus becomes trapped in their twin's body, and treatment that is available to save the healthy twin.

What Happens to the Malformed Fetus When It Is Trapped In Their Twin's Body?

When the malformed fetus is trapped in their twin's body, it may begin to act like a parasite by intruding in the twin's blood supply to try to stay alive. The malformed fetus is usually trapped in their twin's stomach, but in rare cases the fetus has been know to grow in their twin's brain and other various organs.

Diagnosing Fetus in Fetu

To diagnose fetus in fetu, a doctor may start with an abdominal X-ray and an ultrasonography, which is diagnostic imagining or technologies a doctor uses to look inside a person's body for medical issues, and an ultrasound is used to image a developing fetus. A pathologic examination may also be given. Fetus in fetu is most likely to occur in infancy, children, and in very rare cases, it has been diagnosed in adults. Fetus in fetu is more prominent in men.

Treatment Option

Once the patient is diagnosed with the rare condition fetus in fetu, doctors will try to remove the malformed fetus. Special attention will be given to the fetus' blood supply which may be from the host's superior mesenteric vessels, which are the veins and arteries that supply both the small and large intestines. Once the malformed fetus is removed, body parts may be visible and be anencephalic, which means the fetus may be missing the skull and brain. After the fetus is removed, the healthy twin should be able to live a healthy and productive life.

Sanju Bhagat

Bhagat, who resides in India, is one of the most well know cases of fetus in fetu. His stomach swelled to the point he looked nine months pregnant, and he had trouble breathing. In 1999 Bhagat was rushed to the hospital. While the doctors were operating on Bhagat, fluid began gushing out of his stomach. The shocking twist was the doctor's discovery of a malformed creature in his stomach that had feet and hands. They discovered he had the rare condition fetus in fetu, and his twin brother was trapped in his stomach. Once the malformed fetus was removed, Bhagat recovered immediately.

For more information on fetus in fetu go to: www.nih.gov, www.abcnews.go.com, www.allhealthsite.com, www.biology-online.org, and www.jmedicalcasereports.com.