Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

lithopedion

Doctors find 92-year-old woman has been bearing a mummified fetus for 50 years

The incredibly rare phenomenon is known as “lithopedion”.

PA WIRE PA WIRE

ROUTINE TESTING REVEALED a Chilean 92-year-old grandmother has been bearing a large mummified fetus for at least 50 years, medical sources said today.

The fetus, weighing nearly two kilos (four pounds) was discovered after the woman was rushed to a hospital after suffering a fall.

A hip X-ray showed the fetus, which was about seven months developed, but it did not cause the woman any pain.

The rare condition is known as lithopedion and occurs when a fetus dies during pregnancy and then calcifies outside the uterus.

According to the US National Library of Medicine, only around 330 cases have been noted in medical history, and it is not unusual for the condition to be undiagnosed for decades.

One Indian study from last year described the case of a 60-year-old woman who had a lump in her abdomen, and had been experiencing pain for the previous two months.

Surgeons later found the skeleton of a fetus, which they concluded had been there since 1978.

In today’s case, the Chilean woman returned home a few hours after being checked out, without an operation, AFP reports.

Contains reporting by AFP.

Read: 7 deeply unsettling facts about your body that you didn’t know>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
17
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.