Teenager shocks doctors with ‘parasitic twin’ connected to his stomach that could ‘feel pain and touch’

A teenage boy in India shocked doctors after living for 17 years with a rare condition called a “parasitic twin” attached to his stomach. This extra growth had fully formed legs, buttocks, and external genitalia, and it could feel pain, touch, and temperature changes. 

A parasitic twin is similar to conjoined twins, but it happens when one twin stops growing in the womb while the other continues to develop. The undeveloped twin stays attached to the growing one, often with limbs or organs still connected. 

This condition is extremely rare, occurring in less than one in a million births worldwide. One of these rare cases was the teenager from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India. For years, he lived with the extra limbs, which weighed nearly 15kg, sticking out from his abdomen. 

In an interview, the teen shared how he faced constant stares and ridicule, which affected his mental health. He eventually dropped out of school in eighth grade. At 17, he decided to undergo surgery to remove the extra body parts. 

A team of doctors, led by Dr. Asuri Krishna, performed the operation despite limited medical research on the condition. Dr. Krishna explained that only about 40-50 cases of parasitic twins had been recorded in medical literature, and most surgeries were done on younger children. 

The doctors had to rely on their experience and knowledge to carefully separate the extra limbs. Scans showed that the extra body parts received blood from a vessel in the boy’s chest but were not connected to major organs like the liver or kidneys. 

The surgery was done in two stages: the first to remove the limbs and the second to take out a mass that had formed around nearby organs. The entire operation took two and a half hours as the team carefully separated blood vessels, nerves, and tissues to avoid damaging the boy’s organs. 

Four days after surgery, the teen was discharged without any complications. Now, he looks forward to continuing his studies and finding a job. 

“A new world has opened up to me,” he said.