A woman carried a 'stone baby' in her abdomen for 3 years
A woman's unexplained abdominal pain led doctors to a diagnosis that has only been documented a few hundred times over the past 400 years.
A 42-year-old woman from Somaliland, Africa was diagnosed with a lithopedion, or "stone baby," after experiencing chronic abdominal pain and a growing sense of heaviness for three years. Initially, she had sought medical attention three years prior due to symptoms suggesting a pregnancy, but she did not receive any care after her abdominal growth halted.
Upon examination, doctors found a hard, irregular mass containing fetal skeletal structures, including a skull, spinal column, ribs, and arm and leg bones. The mass was roughly 7 by 5 inches and had calcified, causing the woman's abdominal pain and heaviness. After successful surgery to remove the calcified fetus, the woman recovered well and her abdominal pain resolved completely.
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