A surprising case came to light in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, in which a human fetus was born in the stomach of a seven-month-old baby. The family members were surprised to see the child’s continuously growing stomach. When they took it to the doctor, it was found that there was a fetus in his stomach. After which the doctors took him out through operation. Doctors say that in medical science it is called ‘fetus-in-fetu’, which occurs in one in several lakh babies.
Giving information about this on Tuesday, Dr. Santosh Singh, Pediatric Surgeon of Swami Ram Himalayan Medical College, Jolly Grant, Dehradun, said that the family members of the 7-month-old baby had brought him here when his stomach suddenly grew. Initially we suspected some abnormal lump in the baby’s stomach, but when an X-ray was done, it was revealed that there was a human fetus in the baby’s stomach. After which, after giving complete information about this to the child’s parents, the doctors planned the operation.
Doctor Singh said that after this, the fetus was removed by operation last week and the victim is now completely healthy. Four days after the operation, he was discharged from the hospital and sent home. The doctor told that this is a disease which is called fetus-in-fetu in medical science. Which can happen to any one out of several lakh babies. The identity of the victim child and his family has been kept secret for social reasons.
Why does this happen?
Explaining the reason for this, Dr. Santosh said that fetus-in-fetu is a very complex and unusual phenomenon of human fetal development. In this, during embryo development, due to some unknown reason, one embryo starts developing inside another embryo, just like a parasite. It can also be detected in the mother’s womb through ultrasound, although in most cases it is detected only after birth.
