Teratomatous twin fetus

摘要

A 32-year-old woman attended her booking appointment at 12 weeks' gestation. Nine months previously, her first pregnancy ended at 6 weeks in a missed miscarriage. In this pregnancy, the booking blood tests, dating and anomaly ultrasound scans were normal. Breech presentation was confirmed by ultrasound scan at 37 weeks' gestation and external cephalic version was declined. Two weeks later, a live male infant was delivered by caesarean section. The placenta was expelled and the membranes were found to contain a mass of tissue. Routine closure of the uterus and abdomen were performed. The estimated blood loss was 500 ml. After the caesarean section, the placenta was examined and found to be complete. The membranes were divided and a separate mass was identified. It had an external appearance of fetal tissue with a smooth surface. At one end, the skin had many folds and a tuft of hair. The placenta and mass were sent for histopathological study. The report revealed a normal placenta and teratomatous fetus. The fetus was within the placental membranes, weighed 162 g and measured 9 x 7 x 4 cm. It consisted of bone, nerve tissue, subcutaneous and cutaneous tissue. It was an underdeveloped fetus, with no evidence of malignancy.