Doctors at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh have successfully removed the calcified remains of a 24-week-old fetus from the abdomen of a female patient. The condition, known as 'stone baby' or "lithopedion", is a rare occurrence that usually occurs when the fetus dies during pregnancy in the abdomen. The stone baby is too large to be reabsorbed by the body, and later gets calcified.

Lithopedia JC may occur from 14 weeks of gestation to full-term pregnancies. It is not uncommon for a stone baby-type condition to remain undiagnosed for decades and resolve after natural menopause. The diagnosis is often made when the patient is being examined for other conditions that require X-ray studies.

what is stone baby

One such incident occurred with a 27-year-old patient from the Anakapalle district of Visakhapatnam, who is a mother of two children. The woman suffered from severe abdominal pain and was rushed to KGH in the third week of August, following which it was found that she had a stone baby in her stomach and the baby's rib cage, skull, pelvic bone, scapula, etc. were removed.

Dr Vani, professor of obstetrics at KGH, conducted an MRI scan, which showed a calcified "nest of bones" in her abdomen. The medical team performed surgery on August 31. The operation was successful and the woman is recovering.

The woman had a stone baby in her stomach for many years

Earlier, a woman named Estela Melendez had to go through the same situation. She did not know that a calcified fetus had been in her uterus for more than 60 years until doctors noticed something in her X-ray when she fell. The woman lumped her stomach for more than 60 years but she was unaware of this condition. She was not in any danger from the calcified fetus.