BABY BORN WITH PARASITIC TWIN FETUS IN ARMENIA

by Karina Manukyan

ARMINFO
Thursday, December 18, 10:40

A baby was born in Armenia with a parasitic twin fetus, a local
Haykakan Zhamanak Daily writes.

The parents applied to specialists after the belly of their newborn
girl began to grow. Head of the Arbakir Medial Center Ara Babolyan
says a parasitic twin fetus was found inside the girl’s belly. The
baby underwent surgery and the fetus was successfully removed. It is
a very rare phenomenon.

Fetus in fetu is a developmental abnormality in which a mass of tissue
resembling a fetus forms inside the body. There are two theories
of origin concerning “fetus in fetu”. One theory is that the mass
begins as a normal fetus but becomes enveloped inside its twin. The
other theory is that the mass is a highly developed teratoma. “Fetus
in fetu” is estimated to occur in 1 in 500,000 live births.