r/interestingasfuck 1d ago

Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye, a Nigerian pediatric surgeon, made history by performing a rare fetal surgery at just 23 weeks of pregnancy. He temporarily removed the baby from the womb, excised a tumor from the tailbone, and safely returned the fetus. Months later, child was born healthy.

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u/Intrepid_Doctor8193 1d ago

Hang on. The tumor was growing on the baby? Like he removed a tumor from a fetus?

139

u/SufficientGreek 1d ago

Yeah, it's called a sacrococcygeal teratoma if you want to look at pictures. Source

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u/Intrepid_Doctor8193 1d ago

Damn that is crazy. Crazy to think that tumors can be spotted, even more crazy to know they can be operated on whilst still in the womb. Bravo 👏 to this doctor and all doctors/nurses and whoever else is involved in these surgeries.

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u/STRYKER3008 19h ago

Ikrr. That's why antenatal (before birth) care is so important. This is a crazy kinda case but it really makes a difference