When Sam Esquibel was born in Colorado three months ago, doctors knew there was something going on. Ultrasounds had shown a mass in his brain, and he was scheduled for surgery just three days post-partum. But what the doctors found when they got inside his skull shocked them -- two tiny feet, a hand, and a thigh, along with several loops of partially-formed intestine.
Doctors removed the material (caution: the photo in this link may disturb some people), which could be the remains of a mostly-absorbed twin (also known as a fetus in fetu), but those typically occur in the abdomen. Or it could be a teratoma, a type of tumor that often includes hair, teeth or fingernails, though doctors say teratomas aren't typically as structurally complex as a foot or hand.
Whatever the reason, little Sam is just fine now, with nothing but a scar to remind him and his parents of the bizarre surgery in his first week of life.
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