• AIIMS doctors in Delhi successfully removed a 17-year-old boy’s parasitic twin in a rare and complex surgery, improving his quality of life.
  • The teen, previously ridiculed for his condition, now hopes to study and work after the life-changing operation that removed 15kg of extra limbs.

Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi have successfully performed a rare surgery on a 17-year-old boy from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district to remove his parasitic twin.

The teenager, who had lived with an underdeveloped twin attached to his abdomen, had long faced social stigma and health challenges due to his condition.

A parasitic twin is an extremely rare congenital condition where one twin stops developing but remains attached to the surviving twin. Medical literature records fewer than 50 such cases worldwide, with an incidence of less than one in 100,000 births. These cases are typically treated in infancy, making surgery on a teenager particularly challenging.

The boy had a fully developed extra set of limbs, buttocks, and external genitalia, weighing nearly 15 kilograms. The parasitic twin was sustained by a chest artery and could respond to pain, touch, and temperature changes.

Scans revealed that it was connected to the boy’s breastbone and was receiving blood supply from a branch of the internal mammary artery. Fortunately, there was minimal involvement of critical organs like the liver or kidneys.

The surgical team, led by Dr. Asuri Krishna, performed the procedure in two stages. First, they separated the parasitic twin, ensuring that the host twin’s organs and tissues remained undamaged.

Next, they removed a large cystic mass from the boy’s abdomen. The complex procedure, which required coordination between surgeons, radiologists, anaesthetists, and plastic surgeons, lasted two and a half hours.

One of the major challenges during the surgery was managing the patient’s blood circulation.

“During surgery, his blood pressure dropped dangerously as 30-40% of his blood flowed to the parasitic twin, but we were prepared and swiftly stabilised him,” said Dr. Krishna.

The team carefully separated a network of shared blood vessels, nerves, and tissues to complete the operation successfully.

The teenager, who had previously struggled with mobility and social exclusion, was discharged four days after the surgery.

He expressed his joy and optimism for the future, saying,

“I hope to study and get a job. A new world has opened up to me.”

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah