RAHIM YAR KHAN: A 5-year-old child underwent a ‘successful’ surgery to remove partially-formed fetus from his chest in Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH).

The complex surgery was performed on Monday (Jan 12) by pulmonologist Dr Sultan Owaisi, Head of the Tharocic Surgery Department SZMCH, who said the fetus was located near the main artery of the heart.

Dr Owaisi elaborated that this was a case of `fetus in feto’, a rare condition in which a partially-formed twin develops inside the body of a child.

“In most such cases, the fetus is found in the abdomen, making this case unique because it was located in the chest,” he added.

According to a press release of the Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital on Wednesday, several organs of the fetus (weighing around one kg) had developed except the head. The boy’s condition remained unresolved as he had long-standing history of cough and shortness of breath on exertion, attributed by some medics as early childhood recurrent respiratory symptoms.

Dr Owaisi said the child had been experiencing breathing difficulties, chest infection, persistent cough, and fever since he was 18 days old. Coming from rural area, his parents consulted multiple doctors over the months. However, the the CT scan at the SZMCH diagnosed the presence of fetus in feto. He said the boy was now healthy -- eating, moving, and showing normal activity. He hoped Rehan would be discharged from the hospital in a couple of days.

According to BBC Urdu, it is a rare case occuring in one out of 500,000 live births.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2026