Fetus in fetu

Abstract EN

Fetus in fetu is a rare abnormality secondary to the abnormal embryogenesis in a diamniotic, monochorionic pregnancy.

To our knowledge fetus in fetu originally described by Meckel in the late 18th century (Senyüz et al, 1992), it is a rare pathological condition fewer than 100 cases were reported in the literature (Thakral et al, 1998), we reported a 2 months old girl suffering from abdominal mass since birth, and referred to the Cancer Institute as suspicious of Wilms' tumor, conventional radiograph of the abdomen revealed a mass containing numerous calcifications, C.T.

scan showed a heterogeneous retroperitoneal mass with well-defined calcified structures within the mass.

The decision was made for surgical exploration, the diagnosis was made intra-operatively and the mass was successfully excised, physical examination of the mass with review of literature confirmed the diagnosis of fetus in fetu.

Although it is a rare condition imaging may play an important role in our ability to correctly diagnose cases in a prospective fashion.

Surgical excision is the recommended treatment.