Bangalore, August 12, 2019: Manipal Hospitals Bangalore achieves yet another medical miracle and gives new lease of life to 7-month-old baby, Master Abhir Mondal from West Bengal. In a very rare and peculiar case, baby Abhir came to Manipal Hospitals with a very large abdominal swelling, a cause which many doctors failed to detect. When Dr. Radhakrishna, HOD & Consultant, Pediatric Surgeon & Urologist, Manipal Hospitals, Manipal Pediatrics clinic Kormangala examined the abdominal distension, he was stunned to discover the tumor was made of Liquid and Solid elements including bones
Baby’s parents Mr. Tanmoy Mondal & Mrs. Bijiya Mondal settled in Shantiniketan, West Bengal were married for 6 years. They are wall-designing artists by profession and when Bijiya was pregnant, they underwent regular tests and scans, which did not detect any abnormalities with the baby. However, the baby was born premature in the 7th month of pregnancy and when Abhir was 2 months old, his father suspected an abnormal swelling in the abdomen and consulted many doctors to understand the condition. Later a doctor from Kolkata did detect an abnormal tumor and suggested they travel to Manipal Hospitals Bangalore for treatment, as the case seemed to be quite rare and complicated.
Explaining about this rare case, Dr. Radhakrishna, HOD & Consultant, Pediatric Surgeon & Urologist, Manipal Hospitals , Manipal Pediatrics clinic Kormangala “The parents came to me in a very anxious state as they were unable to understand the strange condition of the baby. The baby had a very large tumour arising from the posterior abdominal wall and extending anteriorly. I could see that there was a mix of both liquid and solid elements inside the abdomen. These masses are referred to as teratomas, which means that they are composed of tissues not normally present at that site. These are thought to develop from germ cells, which are cells that can change into and divide to form any organ in the body. This resembled a very rare condition known as Fetus in Fetu. Fetus in fetu (FIF) is a rare congenital anomaly. It is a condition in which malformed and parasitic fetus is located in the body of its twin.”
“The stomach, pancreas and the major blood vessels supplying the intestine were also displaced and had close proximity to the tumor. It took careful and meticulous dissection to finally separate the tumor from the rest of the body organs. Careful examination revealed some peculiar facts as the specimen had a sac filled with fluid in which solid components were present including brain, hair, intestinal tissue and bones, almost giving the appearance of an incompletely formed fetus” Dr. Radhakrishna added.
According to medical literature, Fetus in fetu (FIF) is an extremely rare occurrence and only a few hundreds of such cases have been recorded so far. In fact, the diagnosis is not easy and the period may range from few months to years as well.
Expressing gratitude, parents of Master Abhir said, “This is no less than a miracle for us. We had lost all hopes as the condition of our baby went undetected and none of the doctors could diagnose the problem. Abhir has recovered very well and we are now going back to West Bengal. We are grateful to Dr. Radhakrishna and the team of doctors at Manipal Hospitals for their great support and giving new life to our son. ”