We’ve heard of many strange incidents before, but this is a first.
It was recently revealed that a 15-year-old boy living in Kedah had a twin inside his body. What’s even more shocking is the fact that this twin had been growing inside of him for more than a decade!
The anonymous teenager had apparently been suffering from painful stomach aches and bloating since young. Despite many trips to the doctor, the problem persisted. It wasn’t until his family brought him to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani that the source of his discomfort was discovered.
Initially, the doctors were worried that the boy could have a tumour. After a CT scan, they were baffled to find a malformed foetus attached to the boy. The unborn twin, which weighed 1.6kg and was 23.8cm long, even had its own hair, deformed limbs, penis, and skin covering its body.
It was reported that the foetus had been leeching blood and nutrients from the teen like a parasite. But because it had no mouth umbilical cord nor a placenta, it had no means of survival and eventually died. According to sources, this condition, which is termed “fetus in fetu” only has 200 recorded cases worldwide. In other words, it’s a very rare case.
According to Daily Mail, “fetus in fetu” is caused by the incomplete separation of twins, which fails to grow and instead becomes an internal part of the healthy twin. The foetus is found in the abdomen in 80% of cases. Usually, the unborn foetus doesn’t survive long after birth, but it can be life-threatening for the child that does survive.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful. Upon request, the unborn twin was returned to the family for a proper burial.
Sources: Daily Mail, KL Coconuts/ Featured image: BMJ Case Reports.
