Brazilian Woman Dies Following Surgery to Remove 56-Year-Old Dead Foetus

An 81-year-old woman from Aral Moreira, Brazil, tragically passed away after undergoing surgery to remove a 56-year-old lithopedion from her abdomen. Daniela Vera had been carrying the calcified foetus unknowingly for decades, with her complaints of stomach pain dismissed by doctors over the years.

Daniela’s journey began on March 10 when she visited a local health center for treatment of a urinary tract infection. From there, she was referred to another hospital where 3D scans revealed the presence of a lithopedion, a rare condition where an abdominal ectopic pregnancy calcifies around the foetus. Despite having seven children, Daniela’s condition remained undetected until the scans.

Following the diagnosis, Daniela underwent surgery, but complications arose, leading to her transfer to intensive care. Tragically, she succumbed to an infection on March 15, leaving behind a grieving family.

Dr. Patrick Dezir, the head of the Ponta Pora Hospital health department, explained the rarity of Daniela’s condition, emphasizing that ectopic pregnancies typically occur within the uterus but can sometimes develop outside. He noted that Daniela’s case remained unnoticed due to the absence of acute pain or major bleeding.

According to Daniela’s daughter, Rosely Almedia, her mother had experienced abdominal pain since her teenage pregnancy years but never suspected the cause. Rosely described how Daniela had expressed feeling as though a baby was moving inside her belly, but they never imagined it could be a lithopedion.

This incident echoes a similar case in 2013 involving an 82-year-old woman in Colombia who carried a stone baby for 40 years before undergoing surgery to remove it. Such occurrences of lithopedion are exceedingly rare, accounting for only 0.0054% of all pregnancies.