A rare abdominal tumour weighing 750 gms was successfully removed by doctors from the stomach of a seven-month-old baby from West Bengal. The patient Abhir Mondal, a premature baby, had a very large abdominal swelling, which was noticed by his father when he was only two-months old. After primary treatment in Kolkata, the family went to Bengaluru for his further treatment.

The baby suffered from a congenital anomaly - Fetus in Fetu (FIF) - in which a mass of tissue resembling a fetus forms inside the body. FIF is an extremely rare occurrence in India according to the medical literature.

The family is back to Kolkata happily after over a month long treatment in Bengaluru. On Thursday, the doctors who treated the baby also accompanied the family from Bengaluru to Kolkata and met the press to give details of this rare medical case.

The babys parents Tanmoy and Bijiya Mondal were married for six years and are wall design artists. They settled at Shantiniketan in West Bengals Birbhum district.

1. N. Radhakrishnan, head of the department and consultant, Pediatric Surgeon & Urologist, Manipal Hospital, told mediapersons that when Bijiya was pregnant, she underwent regular tests and scans, which did not detect any abnormalities with the baby. But, the baby was born premature in the seventh month of pregnancy and when Abhir was two months old, his father suspected an abnormal swelling in the abdomen. A Kolkata doctor then detected an abnormal tumour and congenital anomaly.

The parents travelled to Bengaluru with the baby last month, and after Radhakrishnan observed him, he was shocked to discover the tumour was made of liquid and solid elements which also included bones. These masses are referred to as teratomas, which means that they are composed of tissues which are not normally present at that site. These are assumed to develop from germ cells, which are cells that can change into and divide to form any organ in the body. This resembled a very rare condition known as Fetus in Fetu. The stomach, pancreas and the major blood vessels supplying the intestine were also displaced and had close proximity to the tumour.

Radhakrishnan said that a careful and meticulous dissection to finally separate the tumour from the rest of the body organs was needed. Careful examination revealed some unusual facts as the specimen had a sac filled with fluid in which solid components were present, including brain, hair, intestinal tissue and bones, practically giving the appearance of an incompletely formed Fetus.

Post-operation, Abhir started improving within seven-ten days. He is now fine and gaining normal weight too. He is now like any other normal child of his age.