A seven-month-old baby born with a foetus growing inside her was successfully operated on by doctors in India.
The parents of Prinsa Rathava had noticed the baby girl had a lump growing rapidly on her tiny body.
Her worried parents, Manisha and Motisingh Rathava, took her to hospital in Gujarat, where an operation was performed to remove the malformed foetus on February 19.
The condition, known as ‘foetus in fetu’ is so rare that only 200 cases have been reported worldwide.
Seven-month-old Prinsa Rathava had a lump growing rapidly on her tiny body, leading her worried parents, Manisha (right) and Motisingh Rathava, to take her to hospital
The 4oz foetus was removed from between Prinsa’s intestines and her kidneys and doctors who operated on her at the Civil Hospital in Gujarat, India, said the child should grow into a healthy adult.
Head of the department of pediatric surgery, Dr Rakesh Joshi, said: ‘In this case, the undeveloped foetus had a normal vertebrae column, brain tissues, head, limb buds and an anal dimple.
‘The parents of the child noticed a lump like structure in the child but ignored it.
‘This happened when the child was five months old.
‘Since the lump was growing at an alarming rate, the parents got it checked in Baroda and then came to our hospital.
The 4oz foetus was removed from between Prinsa’s intestines and her kidneys by doctors who operated on her at the Civil Hospital in Gujarat, India
Pictured: A CT scan of the foetus that was cut out of Prinsa Rathava. Doctors said she should grow into a healthy adult
‘On February 15, the baby was admitted to our hospital. She is recovering now and we will discharge her in a day or two.
‘There will be no future complications in the case and she will grow up normally.
‘The surgery was tough as the undeveloped fetus was behind the intestine and between both the kidneys.
‘The formation is caused by the incomplete separation of twins, which fails to grow and instead becomes an internal part of the healthy twin.
A team of six operated on Prinsa, including three senior anesthetists.
Medics thought that Prinsa’s mother, who had never given birth before, had not had an ultrasound performed during pregnancy.
The hospital team in Gujarat, India, are pictured after the successful operation. Medics thought that Prinsa’s mother had not had an ultrasound performed during pregnancy