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Fetus in fetu

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Fetus in fetu (or fœtus in fœtu) is an extremely rare form of teratoma containing or appearing to contain entire organ systems, even major body parts such as torso or limbs. Fetus in fetu differs from fetiform teratoma in having an apparent spine and bilateral symmetry.


Fetus in fetu has often been interpreted as a fetus growing within its twin; by this interpretation fetus in fetu is one of the most extreme forms of parasitic twin. This condition can be psychologically extremely disturbing for the person who receives a diagnosis of fetus in fetu, or even of an ordinary teratoma.

Examples

  • Alamjan Nematilaev was the surviving host of a Fetus in fetu. In 2003, aged 7, his school doctor in Kazakhstan referred him to hospital after movements were detected in the boy's enlarged stomach. An operation intended to remove a cyst uncovered the fetus of Alamjan's identical twin brother, which had lived as parasitic growth inside the boy throughout his entire life. The fetus was comparatively highly developed, with hair, arms, fingers, nails, legs, toes, genitals, a head, and a vague approximation of a face.
  • In June 1999, Sanju Bhagat, a man from Nagpur, India, was rushed to a hospital due to difficulty breathing. There, a surgical team removed from his bulging belly a teratoma, a kind of tumor. The report described that the surgical team found a living half-formed "creature" inside Mr. Bhagat's belly.

Appearances in popular culture

  • In Stephen King's novel The Dark Half, a writer's past fetus in fetu teratoma, which had been found and removed in childhood, is linked to the later appearance of a murderous "evil twin" version of himself that takes on the pseudonymous identity the writer had used for a dark series of novels, and that he had just retired.
  • In the X-Files episode "Humbug" the main character has a parasitic twin who detaches from his "host" and kills people around the town.

References

  1. Gonzalez-Crussi, F. (1982) Extragonadal Teratomas. Atlas of Tumor Pathology, Second Series, Fascicle 18. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington D.C.
  2. "How did that boy end up with his twin growing inside him?" The Guardian, July 17, 2003, accessed June 4, 2007
  3. "The Boy Who Gave Birth to His Twin", Channel 4, December 2003, accessed June 4, 2007
  4. "Man With Twin Living Inside Him—A Medical Mystery Classic", ABC News
  5. Cite error: The named reference kirch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

External links

See also

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