Doctors Remove Rare ‘Fetus in Fetu’ from Chest of Five-Year-Old Boy

Doctors at Sheikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital have successfully removed an underdeveloped fetus from the chest of a five-year-old boy in an extremely rare medical condition known as ‘fetus in fetu’.

The child, Rehan, was brought to the hospital with a persistent cough and breathing difficulties. Medical scans revealed the presence of a partially developed fetus inside his chest, located dangerously close to the heart and major blood vessels.

Senior thoracic surgeon Dr Sultan Mahmood led the highly complex surgical procedure to remove the fetus. He said the operation required extreme precision because even a minor mistake could have proved fatal.

Dr Sultan explained that fetus in fetu is a rare congenital condition in which one twin remains underdeveloped inside the body of the other.

“This condition occurs in about one in 500,000 births worldwide. Most cases are found in the abdomen, while its presence in the chest is exceptionally rare,” he added.

Rehan’s mother said they had consulted several doctors earlier, but none could diagnose the problem. She expressed gratitude to the medical team and said her son is recovering well after the surgery.

Hospital spokesperson Dr Ilyas Rana confirmed that the child is receiving advanced care in the thoracic ward.

He termed the successful surgery a major achievement and said such cases in the chest region are extremely rare worldwide.