When you look into the world of medical issues, you sometimes find something that truly takes you by surprise. I think that this one even took the doctors by surprise.
It happened in Shanghai, China when doctors found a fetus growing inside of a one-year-old girl. That fetus was growing inside of her skull, a disorder known as fetus in fetu (FIF).
As a result of the serious medical condition, the little girl was showing severe delays in her speech and motor development. When the parents saw that their little girl was having problems, they took the one-year-old to the hospital.
Doctors noticed a large lump in the cerebral hemisphere during a CT scan of her head. The mass was 13 cm in diameter, had bony features, and a smooth margin.
A prenatal test at 33 weeks had revealed abnormalities but because of the space in the skull, the MRI could not provide the information needed. The girl had a large head circumference, so the mother gave birth by cesarean at 37 weeks.
This rare abnormality occurs when a deformed fetus develops inside of a twin’s body. It is rare, only occurring about once in every 500,000 live births.
Typically, FIF is determined before the birth takes place but since it was in the skull, it was hiding from their view. Xuewei Qin and Xuanling Chen of Peking University International Hospital say that FIF remains a mystery, saying that there may be some environmental or genetic issues associated with it.
Because of the deteriorating condition of the patient, doctors decided they would do a surgical procedure that exposed the brain and removed part of the skull. That procedure, known as a craniotomy turned up a deformed fetus with a mouth, eyes, organs, and visible limbs.
The research said: “After complete mass resection, the shapes of the mouth, eyes, arms, and hands could be observed.”
After the procedure, the one-year-old girl was having convulsions and she died 12 days later. She had never regained consciousness. This type of surgical procedure does not have a good prognosis.
Medical literature has documented less than 200 cases of FIF, so this is one of very few that have been recognized. The cases of this occurring are still very rare, especially when they are confined to the area of the skull. Typically, they would develop in the abdominal area.
