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Fetus in fetu (or foetus in foetu) is a rare developmental abnormality in which a mass of tissue resembling a fetus forms inside the body of its twin. An early example of the phenomenon was described in 1808 by George William Young. [1] There are two hypotheses for the origin of a fetus in fetu.
The twin reversed arterial perfusion, or T.R.A.P. sequence, results in an 'acardiac twin', a parasitic twin that fails to develop a head, arms and a heart.The parasitic twin, little more than a torso with or without legs, receives its blood supply from the host twin by means of an umbilical cord-like structure, much like a fetus in fetu, except the acardiac twin is outside the autosite's body.
The result is one dominant twin with extra body parts belonging to the vestigial twin. It is also possible for tail-like tissue to form around the sacrum. [2] One theory proposes that the usage of teratogenic drugs by the mother may be a factor in the development of vestigial parasitic twins. The cause for vestigial twins is still unclear. [4]
The phenomenon where someone carries a twin inside them is called fetus in fetu. It happens in approximately 1 in 500,000 births. You can hear more about it on the podcast below, or read on:
When 45-year-old Jenny Kavanagh visited doctors to have a contraceptive coil implanted, doctors discovered an undeveloped unborn twin growing inside her. The twin was discovered when medics ...
The exact development of craniopagus parasiticus is not well known. However, it is known that the underdeveloped twin is a parasitic twin. Parasitic twins are known to occur in utero when monozygotic twins start to develop as an embryo, but the embryo fails to completely split. When this happens, one embryo will dominate development, while the ...
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The acardiac twin is a parasitic twin that fails to properly develop a heart, and therefore generally does not develop the upper structures of the body. The parasitic twin, little more than a torso with or without legs, receives its blood supply from the host twin by means of an umbilical cord-like structure (which often only has two blood vessels, instead of three), much like a fetus in fetu ...