Baby girl Itzamara Vega was only born a few months ago, but the whole world is already talking about her—and her incredibly rare condition.
Rare Case
At only 35 weeks old, still inside of her mother’s womb, Itzmara was diagnosed with a condition that’s been recorded in history less than 200 times.
Chances Were Slim
There was a 1 in 500,000 chance of Itzmara being affected by the condition. Her parents had no idea whether she would survive. Inside of Itzmara’s abdomen, something was beginning to suck the life from her…
Just A Cyst
Monica Vega, Itzmara’s mother, was thirty-five weeks pregnant when her obstetrician noticed something strange in an ultrasound. At first, he believed it was a liver cyst…
Far From the Case
The obstetrician sent her to a high-risk pregnancy specialist in Baranquilla, Colombia, whose name was Dr. Miguel Parra-Saavedra. He had no idea what was in store…
A Shocking Surprise
Dr. Parra-Saavedra first saw Monica when she was only five weeks short of a full-term birth. Soon, Dr. Parra-Saavedra realized the cyst wasn’t a cyst at all.
Modern Advancements
Using a color Doppler and 3D/4D ultrasound technology, Dr. Parra-Saavedra saw through the imaging what was really happening with Monica’s unborn child…
“This Is Impossible”
“I told the mother, and she said, ‘What? No, doctor, this is impossible,'” he said. “But I explained step by step, and she understood.” What could it be?
Alerting the Media
Dr. Parra-Saavedra became friends with a number of journalists during the Zika outbreak in 2016 after treating a number of mothers with microcelaphic babies. He used his connections to alert a local television news network to the situation…
Life-Saving Surgery
The news channel followed the 33-year-old Monica throughout the birth of her daughter and the subsequent surgery Itzamara was forced to undergo in order to save her life…
Going Under the Knife
On February 22nd, Itzmara was 37 weeks old and weighed about seven pounds when doctors realized they were going to have to deliver her via cesarean section. They were worried about her chances of survival…
Not What They Expected
Dr. Parra-Saavedra saw on the ultrasound that the fluid-filled space inside Itzmara’s abdomen wasn’t a cyst like Monica’s doctors had originally thought…
She Had A Twin
Instead, it contained another infant, which was connected to a separate umbilical cord. Dr. Parra-Saavedra realized this was Itzmara’s partially-formed twin—and it was still growing.
Fetus-in-Fetu
The type of birth was known as “fetus-in-fetu,” a rare condition that historically occurs during one in every 500,000 births. Itzmara’s case was even more extraordinary than usual…
Early Delivery
Unlike most cases, doctors were able to identify Itzmara’s fetus-in-fetu during the pregnancy. Itzmara would have to be delivered at 37 weeks or else her twin might begin to crush her abdominal organs…
They Had to Do It
Itzmara was born on February 22, 2019. The next day, Itzmara’s fetal twin was removed through laparoscopic surgery. The doctors were concerned about the surgery causing damage to Itzmara’s internal organs, but they had no other choice but to operate…
Missing Essential Organs
The twin was about two inches long and had a basic head and limbs. However, Dr. Parra-Saavedra said it lacked a heart and brain.
Misdiagnosis
Dr. Parra-Saavedra believes the fetuses began as identical twins in the same ovum. Fetus-in-fetu is occasionally misdiagnosed as teratoma, a tumor containing bones, hair, and muscle tissue. However, this wasn’t the case…
Parasitic Twin
In the case Itzmara’s “fetus within fetus,” the twin wasn’t a teratoma, but a heteropagus—a parasitic twin. The congenital anomaly can sometimes go undetected for years…
She Wasn’t Alone
In the past, similar cases have described underdeveloped fetuses with kidneys, spines, hair, fingernails, and limbs. One such case revealed itself in 2015, when a 45-year-old English woman living in Cyprus underwent surgery…
Her Terrifying Reality
For most people, the thought of an unborn twin growing inside of them for over forty years is the stuff of nightmares. This was Jenny Kavanaugh’s reality…
Narrowly Escaping Death
She paid a visit to the doctor after experiencing heavy menstruation, worried that her contraceptive implant was at the root of the issue. However, the truth was much more dangerous—and it could have killed her.
Finding the Mass
Jenny’s doctors insisted she received an ultrasound to find out what was really going on. They soon became aware of a four-inch mass growing on her left ovary.
It Had to be Removed
Jenny’s doctors told Jenny she had to undergo surgery to have the mass removed. Otherwise, it could rupture and kill her. Terrified, Jenny scheduled surgery as soon as possible…
A Closer Look
Eleven days later, doctors got a closer look at what was really growing inside of her. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine what they would find…
Shocking Discovery
The doctors were shocked to find that the mass had a face, a tooth, and long, black hair that looked just like Jenny’s. The mass was her unborn, partially-developed twin. When she woke up from the three-hour operation, Jenny was speechless.
Dealing With the Aftermath
“I try not to think of it too much because I don’t want to feel sad about it,” she said. “But I try not to feel sad about it. I try to remember that it had no heart and no brain.” Jenny knew the parasitic twin would have almost certainly killed her if the doctors hadn’t located and removed it. She said it was hard to describe how she felt when she saw the mass…
They Really Were Twins
“The fact that it had long black hair—just like mine—a face with one eye and one baby tooth makes it more believable,” Jenny continued. She said she felt shocked, scared, and horrified, like an alien had been inside of her all along. She now feels lucky just to be alive…
Living With the Knowledge
When Jenny showed the photo to her mother, she felt tremendous sadness. Her mother said she saw it as her unborn child and Jenny’s unborn twin. Now, Jenny is just trying to live her life as normally as she can. In Itzmara’s case, it’s best that the twin was discovered while she was still in utero…
An Update
Hopefully, Itzmara is young enough that she won’t experience the same kind of trauma. Dr. Parra-Saavedra updated the public on her health…
Healthy Baby
As it turns out, Itzmara is doing just fine. “She has a little scar on her abdomen, but she is a normal baby now except that the whole world is talking about her.” As prenatal imaging improves, it will become easier to understand how and why these kinds of congenital defects occur.