- Doctors in Delhi successfully removed a 15kg parasitic twin from a 17-year-old boy.
- The rare and complex surgery was completed in two-and-a-half hours at AIIMS hospital.
- The teenager, once isolated due to his condition, now hopes to resume his studies and live a normal life.
Doctors in Delhi have successfully performed a groundbreaking surgery on a 17-year-old boy to remove his rare “parasitic” twin, which was attached to his abdomen.
A parasitic twin is an underdeveloped conjoined twin that depends entirely on the host twin for survival. This rare condition occurs in fewer than one in 100,000 births.
The teenager, who had an additional set of fully developed legs, buttocks, and a pelvis sustained by a chest artery, underwent the complex two-hour procedure at AIIMS hospital in Delhi.
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Dr. Asuri Krishna, who led the surgical team, described the operation as particularly challenging due to the patient’s age. “Only 40 to 50 cases of parasitic twins have been documented in medical literature, and surgeries have typically been performed on younger children,” he said.
With limited medical references available, the team relied on their expertise, intuition, and skill to navigate the surgery.
Parasitic twins develop when one fetus only partially forms while remaining attached to the other. In this case, the teenager’s parasitic twin had two fully formed legs, external genitalia, and buttocks—altogether weighing nearly 15kg—protruding from his abdomen. Remarkably, the parasitic limbs could sense pain, touch, and temperature changes.
The first step in the surgery was determining the extent of the connection between the host and parasitic twin. Scans revealed that the parasitic twin was attached to the boy’s breastbone and received blood from a vessel in his chest.
Fortunately, it had little connection with vital organs like the liver or kidneys.
The procedure was carried out in two phases—first, the removal of the parasitic twin, followed by the extraction of a large cystic mass from surrounding organs. A team of radiologists, anesthetists, and plastic surgeons worked meticulously to ensure no damage to the host’s organs or tissues.
During surgery, the teen’s blood pressure dropped critically as 30-40% of his blood was being supplied to the parasitic twin. However, the medical team had anticipated this and swiftly stabilised him.
The teenager was discharged just four days after the surgery, with no complications. “He is healthy and recovering well,” Dr. Krishna confirmed.
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Before the procedure, the boy had faced social isolation and ridicule in his hometown of Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, due to his unusual condition. The stares and whispers had taken a toll on his mental well-being, forcing him to drop out of school in the eighth grade.
Now, with a new lease on life, he is eager to embrace new opportunities. “I want to study, get a job, and live an active life. A whole new world has opened up for me,” he told The Indian Express.
