Underdeveloped embryo removed from kid's stomach

VARANASI: In a bizarre case, an underdeveloped embryo was removed from the stomach of a six-year-old boy admitted to private hospital in Kakarmatta area of Varanasi on Thursday.

The boy’s parents admitted him to hospital three days ago after he complained of a stomachache. He was operated on Thursday.

The boy belongs to Garhwa in Jharkhand. Virendra Bharati, father of six-yearold Ritesh, said his son first complained of stomachache around four months ago.

He consulted local physicians who treated Ritesh. The boy, however, didn’t get any relief.

Bharati said he rushed the boy to a private hospital to consult experts.

The boy underwent ultrasonography which revealed a knot inside his stomach. On seeing this, the doctors decided to operate.

A team of five expert doctors performed the surgery on Thursday and took out the knot. The doctors were stunned when the examination revealed the knot to be an underdeveloped embryo. The doctors were stunned. Dr Awadesh Kumar Kaushik, managing director of the hospital and laparoscopic surgeon, said, “It is a developmental abnormality in which a mass of tissue resembling a foetus forms inside the body. There are two theories regarding its development.”

“One theory says that the mass begins as a normal foetus but becomes enveloped inside its twin. It is estimated to occur in one in five lakh live births,” Dr Kaushik said, adding that the other theory defined the mass as a highly developed teratoma (tumour).

Dr Alok Bhardwaj, senior paediatrician at the hospital, said: “This is rarest of rare cases. But boy’s problem was successfully treated. He is completely stable and is recovering fast. Had it not been removed, it would have caused a severe problem to the boy in future.”

A TEAM OF FIVE EXPERT DOCTORS PERFORMED THE SURGERY ON THURSDAY AND TOOK OUT THE KNOT.