Foetus-in-foetu case: Doctors successfully operate on infant

The team of doctors of KLE’s Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital, who successfully operated on the foetus in foetu case in Belagavi.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In a rare case of ‘Foetus in Foetu’, believed to occur one in five-six lakh instances, doctors of KLE’s Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital have successfully operated on a three-day old infant and removed the foetus growing within.

During an ultrasound done in 28th week of the pregnancy of a woman from Chandgad, it was noticed that baby appeared to have a cyst. A  closer inspection later revealed it was actually a foetus that was inside the child’s abdomen.

After the baby was delivered after 37 weeks, the case was referred to KLE’s Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital for further surgical management. The baby was operated on the third day after birth by Paediatric Surgeon Swapnil Pattanshetti, who was assisted by Dr. Saksham.

Twin amniotic cysts were found between major vessels IVC, Right Renal vessels and the aorta and a complex removal was carried out by the surgeons with fine dissection without rupturing the cyst and other parts. They were assisted by anaesthesiologist Rajesh Mane and Priyanka Gadvi. Perioperatively, the baby was in the NICU under the care of Manisha Bhandankar and Ram Bhatt and is now recovering well, a release from the hospital said.

While there is no clarity on why foetus-in-foetu cases arise, they are believed to occur during the first few weeks of diamniotic monozygotic twin pregnancies after one foetus wraps around and envelops the other anomalous twin. The enveloped twin then becomes ‘parasitic’ and relies on the blood supply of the ‘host’ twin and keeps increasing in size, the release explained.