Young discovers that mass growing on her abdomen was her twin

A 17-year-old girl in India decided to seek help after noticing something strange growing in her abdomen - “something” that for the past 5 years has been causing the girl some discomfort at eating and occasional pain. Then, after undergoing several tests, doctors found that much of his abdominal cavity was filled with a massive 25 x 23 x 19 cm mass of bones, cartilage, fat and teeth.

Parasitic Twin

According to Michelle Starr of Science Alert, there is actually a type of tumor called teratoma that is characterized by the formation of masses containing these structures that we mentioned above. However, in the case of the Indian teenager, doctors found that what she had in her abdomen were actually the remnants of a twin who, during pregnancy, did not evolve and was eventually absorbed into the girl's body when the two fetuses they were still in her mother's womb.

Popularly known as the “parasitic twin”, this very rare condition is called fetus in fetus (or FIF), occurs in 1 out of every 500, 000 births and is very difficult to observe in people over 15 years of age. In the Indian girl, however, her twin occupied a space extending from the epigastrium, which corresponds to the upper abdomen, to the top of the pelvis, causing dislocation and compression of the viscera.

(Source: Science Alert / Kumar et al., BM / Reproduction)

In addition, the exams showed the presence of vertebral and rib-like bones, reinforcing the diagnosis that the volume was composed of what was left of his twin, and when the mass was removed by surgery, doctors also identified structures that looked like upper limbs. and lower, as well as epithelial, intestinal, and neural tissue - and even a material containing hair.

Luckily, the parasitic twin removal surgery was a success and almost all of the mass was removed - some parts had to be left because of close adhesions of the blood vessels and intestinal tract - and the girl will only have to return for the procedure. periodic exams to monitor the tissues of your twin that could not be taken.