A 32-year-old pregnant woman in Maharashtra's Buldhana district has been diagnosed with 'fetus in fetu', an exceedingly rare condition where a malformed fetus is found within the body of another fetus. The anomaly was discovered recently during a routine check-up at the Buldhana District Women's Hospital, with the woman being 35 weeks into her pregnancy, according to officials.
The condition was discovered during a sonography at the hospital, the official said. Dr. Prasad Agarwal, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the hospital, informed reporters on Tuesday that 'fetus in fetu' is an exceptionally rare condition, occurring in one in five lakh pregnancies. To date, only around 200 cases have been reported globally, most of them after delivery, including 10-15 cases in India, he added.
"But I was lucky and vigilant enough to notice something very unusual with this baby, which is almost of 35 weeks, grossly normal growing fetus with a few bones and fetus-like structure in its abdomen," he said. "It immediately struck me that this was not normal. It was 'fetus in fetu', one of the rarest conditions in the world," Dr. Agarwal said. "We sought a second opinion, and the case was confirmed by radiologist Dr. Shruti Thorat." Hospital authorities added that the woman has been referred to a medical facility in neighboring Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for a safe delivery and further procedures.
What is fetus in fetu? "Fetus in fetu" is an extraordinarily rare medical condition in which a malformed, underdeveloped fetus is found inside the body of its twin, often called the "host" fetus. This occurs early in fetal development when one fetus absorbs the other. The parasitic fetus may contain some identifiable body parts, such as bones, tissues, and organs, though it is typically not fully formed. This condition is extremely rare, with an occurrence of about 1 in 500,000 live births. Fewer than 200 cases have been documented worldwide, some identified after birth, and very few have been reported in India. It is generally diagnosed through imaging techniques like sonography, with the affected fetus usually located within the abdomen of the host fetus.