A Four-Dimensional Ultrasound
A four dimensional ultrasound is seen at a pregnancy clinic in Arlington, Texas November 26, 2007. The clinic offers free services to what it deems are "vulnerable women" considering an abortion. Part of a program called "Option Ultrasound," sponsored by the conservative advocacy group Focus on the Family, the clinic works on the principle that women who view images of their fetus are less likely to have an abortion. Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi

Kantabai Gunvant Thakre is a 60-year-old woman who was experiencing terrible stomachache two months ago. Upon diagnosis, the doctors found a lump on the lower right side of her abdomen and to rule out any signs of cancer, she underwent an ultrasound. They could not find anything accurate result. Hence, she underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). What the doctors were shocked on what was detected, the Times of India reported.

Dr. Murtaza Akhtar, head of surgery at Lata Mangeshkar Hospital in central India said that they found out that the mass was in fact a child's skeleton. 24 years ago, the patient had experienced an ectopic pregnancy, a condition in which the foetus implants itself in places other than the uterus, such as the fallopian tubes. In her case, the calcified sac was found in her uterus, intestines and bladder.

The operation that happened last week was successful in removing the remains of the unborn child. They removed the skeleton that was lodging inside the woman for 36 years. According to the report of India, she conceived in the year 1978 and she was advised then that a surgery would be necessary. Instead of having the surgery, she went home without doing the procedure due to fear of losing her child.

Dr. Jonathan Herman, an obstetric surgeon at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, who was not involved in the woman's case, explained that the implantation in rare cases can also occur in the ovaries or the abdomen.

Though she never experienced any pain, after 36 years the pain began to haunt her. Herman stated that this was caused by a rare condition called "stone baby". He described the condition, "When a foetus dies outside of the womb, there may be too much tissue for it to be reabsorbed by the mother's body. Instead, in order to protect itself against complications, the mother's body may calcify the outside of the foetus."

He also stated that the reason for such a long delay in the experience of the pain is still unknown, but the body adapts to changes he said. Dr. Mohammad Yunus Shah, one of the surgeons who treated the woman, told the Daily Mail, "The amniotic fluid that protects the foetus might have been absorbed and the soft tissues liquified over time, with only a bag of bones with some fluid remaining".

Herman said that the condition would become rarer as modern medicine would take over the world, "With current medicine, you just do not see them".