Rare congenital anomaly of ‘foetus in foetu’ seen in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district

Rare congenital anomaly of ‘foetus in foetu’ seen in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district

A rare ‘foetus in foetu’ case came to light in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, where a foetus-like mass was located within the body of an eight-month-old foetus, the Buldhana medical official said on Friday, January 31, 2025. 

During a regular sonographic assessment of a 32-year-old pregnant woman at the Buldhana District Women’s Hospital, the rare congenital anomaly was detected. “In medical terms, we call it ‘foetus in foetu’. It is a foetus-like mass developed within the body of the foetus. It is a developmental abnormality; however, it does not pose a danger to the mother’s life. The chances of the baby survival after delivery though, are usually not good,” said Buldhana District Civil Surgeon, Bhagwat Bhusari, adding: “We have to wait and watch. Post delivery, a paediatric surgeon will perform the surgery”. 

Dr. Busari pointed out that the cause of the condition is difficult to ascertain but this may have happened due to a genetic mutation. “The two possible scenarios are: when an underdeveloped twin form attaches to the host twin’s body in the womb, or when a teratoma, a tumour that comprises various tissues, such as skin, bone, and hair, and commonly found in newborns is formed,” he said. 

Doctors detected the unusual growth in the baby when the woman came to the hospital for her routine check-up at 35 weeks of pregnancy. The doctor saw a few bones and a foetus-like structure growing in the baby’s abdomen and identified it as a case of ‘foetus in foetu’ and confirmed the diagnosis after the second opinion by radiologist Shruti Thorat. 

‘Foetus in Foetu’ cases are rare, estimated to occur in about one in 5 lakh pregnancies. Only 100 to 200 cases have been reported worldwide, with India only having reported 10 to 15 such cases, doctors said.