Doctors in Shanghai were astounded to discover a parasitic unborn twin inside the skull of a one-year-old girl, brought in due to delays in motor skills and speech development. Initial abnormalities were detected during a 33-week prenatal examination, but the exact issue remained unclear until a head CT scan revealed a large mass in her cerebral hemisphere. This mass, measuring 13 centimeters in diameter, included internal bone structures and resembled a fetus.
The condition, known as fetus in fetu (FIF), is an extremely rare developmental abnormality occurring in about one in half a million live births. It involves a malformed fetus being found within its twin’s body. In this case, the parasitic twin had halted development but remained attached to the surviving twin. Doctors decided to perform a craniotomy, a surgical procedure to remove part of the skull to access the brain, in an effort to remove the fetus.
Despite extensive preoperative planning and surgical efforts, the one-year-old experienced uncontrollable seizures post-surgery and passed away 12 days later. The study concluded that surgical resection is the only curative treatment for such conditions, but the prognosis remains poor. This rare and tragic case highlights the complexities and challenges of dealing with such extraordinary medical conditions.
The discovery and subsequent efforts to save the child underscore the importance of advanced medical imaging and timely intervention in managing rare congenital anomalies. The case also emphasizes the need for continued research and development in pediatric neurosurgery and prenatal diagnostics to better understand and address such rare medical phenomena.
