Parasitic twin removed from 7-month-old in Tura

TURA: In a first attempt of its kind in Garo Hills region, a parasitic twin from a 7-month-old female baby was successfully operated and removed at the Tura Civil Hospital.
The rare case with the medical term ‘Xyphophagus’ denotes a parasitic twin attached to the upper part of the abdomen and lower part of the chest on a living human. The operation was conducted by Paediatric Surgeon, Maternity and Child Hospital, Dr Lee Roger Ch Marak with assistance from the Hospital Anesthetist and MD, Dr Stevie Jaseng N Sangma.
Superintendent of Tura Civil Hospital, Dr M A Sangma said that the patient, whose parents hail from a remote area in East Garo Hills, was admitted to the hospital on September 11. Sangma informed that the case was such a complicated one as vital organs such as liver and intestine were connected to both the parasitic and living twin.
“However, after prolonged observation and examination of the child, we were finally able to successfully carry out the operation and remove the parasitic twin,” Sangma said.
According to Dr Sangma, a parasitic twin is a type of conjoined twin which fails to develop during pregnancy and becomes fully dependent on the ‘Autositic’ or living twin. She said that it needed to be removed as it would have affected the growth and development of the living twin.
“Without surgical intervention, it would have severely affected the living twin by stunting the child’s proper growth, development and education, not to mention her life in society due to social stigma,” Sangma added.