AIIMS Bhopal doctors perform critical surgery on 3-year-old to remove its parasitic twin

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal, conducted a rare surgery on a three-year-old girl where a parasitic twin was removed in a seven-hour surgery.

In a post on X (formely known as Twitter), AIIMS Bhopal informed about the complex surgery that took place at the facility, where child had an incompletely developed twin embryo attached to the skull and neck. Due to superstitious beliefs, no initiative was taken by the guardians to approach the medical experts for treatment for three years.

Officials informed that the neurosurgery department of AIIMS Bhopal conducted a seven-hour surgery and separated the undeveloped foetus attached to the brain and neck of the child.

A parasitic twin is a rare condition where one foetus stops developing but remains attached to its twin. As per Cleveland Clinic, parasitic twin never fully develops but stays attached to its twin, who continues to develop until birth. This rare condition happens early in embryonic development, so its organs or limbs can be nearly unrecognisable. This results in the healthy, developed twin (the dominant or autositic twin) being born with extra limbs, organs or tissue from its parasitic twin. The dominant twin is at high risk for medical complications and requires medical treatment after birth. If left untreated, the dominant twin could be exposed to diseases and complications that arises from supporting its parasitic twin.

In February, doctors in Delhi performed a critical surgery on a 17-year-old boy to remove his parasitic twin that was attached to his abdomen. They are extremely rare, with less than one case occurring per 100,000 births. The teenager underwent a two-hour surgery at AIIMS Delhi. In this case, the teenager had two fully formed legs, buttocks and external genitalia protruding from his abdomen, reported BBC.

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