A new born in India with an extra head, which had no ears and eyes and a third hand due to being partly developed, has been given a normal life by Indian doctors.
The baby girl was born with a head attached to her stomach.
Doctors removed the appendage of her parasitic twin in a complicated four-hour operation at JK Lone Hospital, in Jaipur.
It was feeding off of her blood supply – depriving her of vital nutrients needed for her healthy development, surgeons said.
The unnamed 21-year-old mother presented herself to doctors at the Ram Snehi Hospital, in Jahazpur, after experiencing pain during her pregnancy.
She was immediately referred for a sonography scan and an ultrasound and was told that she was carrying twins – but were unaware they would be parasitic.
Unlike conjoined twins, one is incompletely formed or wholly dependent on some bodily functions of the complete foetus.
Dr Pravin Marthur, of the hospital’s paediatric unit, said: ‘This is one of the rarest cases of parasitic twin.
‘The parents told us the mother had undergone sonography and other tests but were not told about carrying an underdeveloped twin.
‘They were shattered when they saw the baby. We had to convince them to give us a nod for the surgery to save their daughter’s life.
‘After immediate consultation with a team of radiologist and support from assistant professors, we successfully removed the head from the viable child.’
The hospital did not charge the family for any health or surgery costs. The baby is recovering well and is being breastfed and will be discharged later this week.
The baby after surgery
Parasitic twins are usually a result of a delay in the separation of embryos during conception.
They are formed when one embryo maintains a dominant development at the expense of the other.
Source Daily Mail
