Delhi, September 5: In a rare and complex surgery, doctors in Gurugram successfully removed "parasitic twins" from the abdomen of a 20-day-old baby girl at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, a condition reported in fewer than 200 cases globally until now. The baby’s mother was initially pregnant with triplets, but during early development, two of the fetuses began growing inside the third, leading to the formation of parasitic twins.

The infant was admitted to Fortis Memorial Research Institute in July this year, the BBC reported. According to the report, the complex surgery took about two hours. "The surgery was challenging, but the baby is healthy and doing well," Dr Anand Sinha, a paediatric surgeon who led the operation, told the media outlet. Dr Sinha further said that "the infant was discharged from the hospital a month back and there have been no complications so far." Lucknow: Dr Ankur Bajaj Successfully Removes Iron Rod From 3-Year-Old Boy’s Head and Shoulder at King George’s Medical University After 20 ft Fall in Uttar Pradesh.

What is Foetus in Foetu?

The term foetus in foetu literally means a "foetus inside a foetus". It’s a rare medical condition in which a foetus gets prematurely enveloped and enclosed inside the body of its twin. In simple terms, it happens when one twin becomes enveloped by the other and ends up trapped inside the surviving baby’s body. Although the foetus is not alive, it can continue to grow by drawing nutrients from the host twin.

Gurugram Doctors Successfully Remove ‘Parasitic Twins’ From 20-Day-Old Baby

This case was particularly remarkable as it had not one but two foetuses, parasitic twins. A parasitic twin occurs when identical twins begin to form from a single fertilised egg, but the split is incomplete. As a result, one twin develops normally, while the other remains underdeveloped and survives by attaching itself to the healthy twin’s body. Hyderabad: KIMS Doctors Remove Pen Cap Stuck in Man’s Lungs After 21 Years.

According to the report, the doctors could not perform the surgery immediately after the child was brought to the hospital, as she was dehydrated and malnourished. After two days, when her condition had improved, they operated on her, and the surgery was successful. Dr Sinha confirmed that the “baby is now fine and doing well".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2025 01:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).