Somaliland doctors remove rare calcified fetus from woman

Medical professionals at Burco Amud University Hospital in Somaliland have successfully removed a calcified fetus, known as a lithopedion or “stone baby,” from a 42-year-old woman. The patient had suffered from intermittent lower abdominal pain and a sensation of heaviness for three years.

The woman reported that approximately three years prior, she experienced symptoms of pregnancy, including abdominal growth and fetal movement, which eventually ceased as her abdomen gradually decreased in size. She did not seek medical attention at that time. Upon examination, doctors discovered a hard, irregular mass extending to the navel.

Diagnostic imaging, including ultrasound and 3D CT scans, revealed an 18 by 13 centimeter mass containing identifiable fetal skeletal structures, such as the skull, spine, ribs, and long bones, despite an empty uterus. The condition occurs when a fetus dies during an abdominal pregnancy and is not expelled or reabsorbed, leading to calcium accumulation.

The medical team performed surgery to remove the mass. The patient recovered without complications, and follow-up examinations confirmed the resolution of her abdominal pain. According to the International Medical Case Reports Journal, only about 340 such cases have been documented in medical literature over the last 400 years.