Xiao Feng's parents took the boy to the hospital when his stomach began to swell. After X-rays and MRI scans, it was discovered that Xiao had a parasitic twin with a fully formed spine and limbs. Had it continued to grow, it could have affected his breathing and even killed him.
2-year-old Xiao Feng was taken to the hospital when he developed a severely swollen belly, which turned out to be a parasitic twin.
A 2-year-old Chinese boy has "given birth" after doctors removed a parasitic twin from inside his stomach.
Xiao Feng, from Huaxi, was reportedly taken to hospital after his parents spotted he had a severely swollen belly and was struggling to breathe properly.
Doctors discovered that Xiao was a foetus-in-foetu conjoined twin, which means the egg fails to fully separate.
X-rays and MRI scans revealed he was carrying the undeveloped fetus of his own twin inside his stomach, reports Chinese media.
The parasitic twin had a fully formed spine and limbs.
Doctors removed the nearly eight-inch-wide fetus, which was said to have had a fully formed spine and limbs, reports Inquisitr.
Had the parasitic twin continued to grow, it would have affected Xiao’s breathing and eventually killed him.
Medics later said that, had the condition been left untreated, the parasitic twin would have kept on growing inside and probably killed him.
Twins are formed when an egg splits following fertilization.
Doctors removed the nearly 8-inch-wide fetus from the boy’s stomach.
But conjoined twins, or in this case foetus-in-foetu siblings, are formed when the egg itself fails to fully separate.
