Fetus Removed From the Brain of a 1-year-old Girl
In a rare and astonishing medical case from China, doctors successfully removed a malformed twin from the brain of a 1-year-old girl. The child had been showing signs of developmental delays and had an unusually large head, prompting further investigation. Upon examination, doctors discovered that the mass inside her brain was not a typical tumor but a partially formed twin, containing bones resembling a spine, arms, and even finger-like buds. This extraordinary condition, known as fetus-in-fetu, occurs in approximately 1 in 500,000 births. In such cases, one twin begins to develop inside the other. Though commonly mistaken for a type of tumor, the condition is identified by the presence of actual body parts. Fetus-in-fetu most often appears in the abdominal region, making this case even more remarkable due to the twin's growth inside the brain. Fewer than 200 cases of fetus-in-fetu have been documented globally, and instances where the twin develops in the brain are exceedingly rare. This discovery adds to the small but significant number of unusual cases, shedding light on a condition that challenges our understanding of human development and medical anomalies.