In a rare and shocking medical case, doctors in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, discovered a 12-week-old foetus developing in a woman's liver instead of the uterus during an MRI scan. The rare medical condition, known as intrahepatic ectopic pregnancy, is extremely rare and carries significant risks. Experts suggested that this could be the first such case ever reported in India, News18 reported.
The doctors, after confirming the diagnosis, performed an emergency surgery to remove the foetus and a portion of the liver to prevent potentially fatal haemorrhaging.
“When I saw the scan, I could not believe my eyes. The foetus was embedded in the right lobe of the liver, and there were clear cardiac pulsations. I have never seen such a case in my career, and according to available data, this might be India’s first intrahepatic ectopic pregnancy," Dr KK Gupta, a radiologist at a private imaging centre in Meerut, who uncovered it while carrying out the MRI abdomen test of the 30-year-old woman, was quoted by News18 as saying.
This came to light when the woman, after weeks of abdominal pain and vomiting, was referred for an MRI of the abdomen.
According to Dr Gupta, the scan revealed a startling anomaly. “We observed a well-formed gestational sac inside the right lobe of the liver. The foetus measured approximately 12 weeks in gestational age. Most strikingly, the scan confirmed active cardiac pulsations, establishing that the foetus was alive. At the same time, the uterus was completely empty, ruling out a normal intrauterine pregnancy," Dr Gupta explained.
He further detailed that the foetus appeared embedded deep into the parenchymal tissue of the liver, with blood vessels from the organ supplying nutrition to the sac. This confirmed that the pregnancy had implanted directly into the hepatic tissue — an occurrence almost unheard of in India, the report added.
Dr Gupta also said that the diagnosis was double-checked by repeating certain MRI sequences to rule out imaging errors. “Initially, I even thought it might be an imaging artifact. But repeated scans, taken from different planes, confirmed the presence of a live foetus within the liver tissue itself. At that moment, we realised we were dealing with an extremely rare, high-risk pregnancy," he added.
Only 8 cases of liver pregnancies so far
Pregnancies outside the uterus, or ectopic pregnancies, are uncommon, accounting for 1–2% of all pregnancies. Most — about 97% — occur in the fallopian tubes. Rare cases are found in the ovaries or the abdominal cavity. But intrahepatic implantation — when the fertilised egg attaches to the liver — is one of the rarest forms known in medical science.
According to published literature, only eight cases of intrahepatic ectopic pregnancy have been reported worldwide so far, in countries including China, Nigeria, the United States, and parts of Europe.
India’s first documented case?
News18 noted that the Meerut case could be India’s first reported instance of intrahepatic ectopic pregnancy. “Based on international literature, there is no record of such a pregnancy being reported from India before. Documenting this case will be vital, as it can help the global medical community understand, prepare for, and manage similar rare conditions in the future," Dr Gupta added.
As per the report, the woman is currently under strict medical supervision while doctors chart the safest course of treatment. A multidisciplinary team has been assembled to plan a complex surgery.
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