When Doctors Discovered A Calcified 'Stone Baby' In A 73-year-old Woman's Womb

Since the internet loves to relive the moment they first read a bizarre story, here's one more that'll leave you scratching your head. In an old case from 2016, a group of doctors in Algeria, a country in North Africa, made an astonishing discovery. They found a 35-year-old calcified 'stone baby' in the uterus of a 73-year-old woman. Here's what had happened.

What did the doctors discover?

In a bizarre case from 2016, doctors found a 35-year-old calcified 'stone baby' in the uterus of a 73-year-old woman | Image: Canva

According to various reports at the time, the woman came in complaining of abdominal ache. X-ray scans of the elderly woman's stomach revealed frightening images of a calcified foetus.?

The foetus was found to be roughly seven months old and weighed 4.5 pounds. Experts believed the Algerian mother had carried the stone baby for 35 years without any knowledge. In case you're wondering, the woman led a regular life, as per reports. But after the case came to light, one thing was clear: she suffered from a rare condition known as lithopedion.

What is this rare illness?

Lithopedion refers to an abdominal ectopic pregnancy in which the foetus dies but cannot be reabsorbed by the mother's body | Unspash

According to the National Library of Medicine, the phrase derives from the Greek words lithos (stone) and paedion (child). It refers to an abdominal ectopic pregnancy in which the foetus dies but cannot be reabsorbed by the mother's body.?

The dead foetus remains in the abdominal cavity, surrounded by a calcium shell.According to Al Arabiya, the woman had previously received medical care. Her unborn child, however, remained undetected until 2016. Dr Kim Garcsi previously spoke with ABC News about the case. He was reportedly working at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, at the time.

In the words of Dr Kim, "Most of the time people find these and [sometimes] even after they're found and don't do anything about it because they're totally asymptomatic."?

How many such cases are there in the world?

According to a 1996 report, there are now just 290 documented examples of lithopedion worldwide. This paper appeared in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.?

According to a 1996 report, there are now just 290 documented examples of lithopedion worldwide| File

The first known such case dates back to 1582. The discovery was made during an autopsy of a 68-year-old woman in the French city of Sens. This incident was documented in a thesis by Dr Jean d'Ailleboust. The woman had been carrying her lithopaedion for 28 years.

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