Mumbai: Doctors remove foetal bones from lady’s womb

The foetal bones were found in the intrauterine of the woman

Doctors at the civic-run Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivli carried out an unusual procedure, where they removed remnants of the foetal bones of a stone baby from the intrauterine of a young woman. A stone baby, also known as lithopedion, is a rare phenomenon which occurs most commonly when a foetus dies during an abdominal pregnancy, is too large to be reabsorbed by the body, and calcifies on the outside.

The 27-year-old patient, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, had become pregnant last year. Due to some medical issues, the couple decided on medical termination of the pregnancy (MTP). Soon after, the woman started developing health complications. The couple then came to Mumbai, where they sought consultation at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital's gynaecology department.

Also Read: Mumbai: Despite initiatives, TB cases on rise in certain hotspots

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Nimish Tutwala, head of department of obstetrics and gynecology said, "The patient was complaining of vaginal discharge and bleeding for the last two weeks, and pain in abdomen since the last one week. All routine investigations were normal. A sonography showed an intrauterine foreign body, probably bones."

The MTP, he suspected, had not been done properly due to which four bones were left inside the womb. "On February 10, we planned for a hysteroscopic removal of the bones. After two hours of surgery, the bones were successfully removed."

One of the officials from the hospital said that if MTP is not performed properly, it can pose a threat to the patient's life. "The remnant bones can pierce the internal organ and there is a chance of sepsis and the patient might die or not be able to conceive," the official said. The patient was discharged on February 16. Dr Pratima Patil, medical superintendent of the hospital said, "We are happy that our team of doctors performed such a rare operation efficiently."

The radiology department of the hospital played an important role in detecting the bone left in the womb. Medical officer Dr Ajay Gupta said that the patient was advised to undergo an MRI. "But nothing came out of that report. We then decided to do a sonography. Dr Swati Kshirsagar diagnosed the remnants."