Rachipagus parasitic twins: A case series and review of literature

Onfalopagus parasitic fusioned twin: A case report

“…The presence of conjoined twins is a very rare developmental event, with an approximate incidence varies from 0.05 to 1.47 cases per 100,000 births worldwide [3] . The largest published series assessing the incidence of heteropagus twins derives from a US database of 7.9 million births collected over an 8-year period in the 1970s [1] . This study estimated that the true incidence of heteropagus twin births was 0.05 to 0.1 per 100,000.…”

“…The earliest description of this condition seems to be in the 16th century, when a French surgeon, Ambroise Pare, reported a headless twin with the body attached to the abdomen of one of his patients. [1] .…”

“…One twin of the pair is severely defective (the “parasite”). Its counterpart (“autositis”) must be mostly intact, although it can exhibit certain congenital anomalies such as heart malformations [1] . The parasite depends on the host's growth, but it rarely contains dysplastic thoracic or abdominal organs.…”