Boy Has Twin’s Body In Stomach

Image via abcnews.com

Doctors in Peru said they would operate today on a 3-year-old boy to remove the body of his would-be twin.

Isbac Pacunda has the body of his twin inside his stomach – bones, eyes and even hair on the cranium. Dr. Carlos Astocondor, a plastic surgeon at the Las Mercedes Hospital in Chiclayo, told the Associated Press that the partially formed fetus weighs about a pound and a half and is 9  inches long. He and a team of 12 doctors will surgically remove the tissue from the boy’s stomach today.

The condition is called fetus-in-fetu and happens in about one  out of every 500,000 live births, Astocondor said. Although rare, these cases are not unheard of. In 2008, doctors removed a 2-inch embryo from the body of a 9-year-old girl in Greece. In 2006, doctors found a half-formed twin with limbs, genitalia, hair — even fingernails – in the swollen stomach of a 36-year-old Indian man.

The case spotlights the biological precision needed for twins to develop in the womb. Identical twins form when an egg splits in half right after fertilization. If the egg fails to fully separate, conjoined twins will form, sharing some portion of their bodies.

Dr. Jonathan Fanaroff, a neonatologist at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, told ABC News that some conjoined twins can live as “parasites,” relying on the body of the other for a blood supply and organ function. But for fetus-in-fetu, the body of one twin envelops the other during development.

“In this kind of situation, because it was inside the other boy, it wasn’t able to survive,” Fanaroff said.

Surgery to separate live, conjoined twins is extremely difficult and fraught with ethical complications. Fanaroff said the removal of Pacunda’s twin will likely be much easier.

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News: Morning BOUNCE Buzz

A transit strike in the HRM is looming and Metro Transit users could be looking for a way to work and school by this time tomorrow

The union says the city did not accept their counter offer to a proposal the HRM had put on the table.

Mayor Peter Kelly says the city’s offer would have made Metro Transit workers the highest paid in the region.

Cloudy, chance of flurries this morning, Snowfall amount 5 cm, changing to periods  of rain this afternoon, – High plus 4

Periods of rain ending this evening then chance of flurries overnight, Rainfall amount 2-4 mm – Low minus 3

Tomorrow – Cloudy, chance of flurries in the morning – Temperature steady near minus 2

Daily Blog Post: Cop Breaks Into Wrong House

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On This Day in 1972

First scientific hand-held calculator, the HP-35, introduced for $395

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Your daily horoscope

IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY:

Do you love what you are doing? Not “like” but truly “love”? If not you may need to adjust your aims this coming year and focus more on what you are genuinely passionate about. In the long-term it’s the only way to be happy.

ARIES (March 21 – April 20):

You need to think about some serious issues today and the only way you are going to be able to do that is to hide yourself away for a while. Strangely, a relationship will improve if you spend time apart.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21):

Spend time with people who share your outlook on life. Yes, of course, it’s also good to mix with those who see the world through different eyes, but today you need to reinforce the viewpoint that makes most sense to you.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21):

You will find it easy to get along with important people today. They clearly think highly of you, even though you may not have done anything special. With friends in high places all things are possible.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23):

You are in an adventurous mood at the moment, the kind of mood where all things seem possible. And they are. If you are looking for excitement you won’t have to look too far or too hard to find it.

LEO (July 24 – Aug. 23):

You will do anything for anyone today and expect nothing in return. However, it might also be wise to ask if what you are about to do for someone is really in their best interests. Maybe “no” would be a kinder answer.

VIRGO (Aug. 24 – Sept. 23):

Romance is in the air and someone is sure to catch your eye before the day is through. Can you be more than friends? If you start a romance will it last? If nothing else you will have fun finding out.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 – Oct. 23):

By all means help someone in need today, but after that you should make it clear that in future they must help themselves. If you don’t you won’t get a moment’s peace – they will want you to put everything right.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 – Nov. 22):

Let someone know that you love them. Let someone know that you care. Venus and Mars will make it easy for you to be affectionate, and others will find it easy to return your affection, so don’t hide your feelings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 – Dec. 21):

It’s possible that you will forge a new relationship today, but more likely you will get the chance to put an existing relationship on a firmer footing. It’s a chance you must take – if you don’t you’ll regret it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 – Jan. 20):

You are in a sociable mood at the moment and will go anywhere and do anything if you think it might be fun. And if it isn’t as much fun as you expected you’ll just get up and go some place else.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 – Feb. 19):

By all means indulge yourself. By all means do what makes you feel good. You deserve a treat after all the hard work you’ve put in these recent weeks. No one will give it to you, so take it for yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 20 – Mar. 20):

Don’t sit there doing nothing – get out into the world and make things happen. With Venus in your sign linked to Mars love will never be far away and if someone catches your eye it could be the start of something special.