Woman's unborn twin discovered inside her brain

A woman who thought a brain tumor was behind her concentration problems got the shock of her life when the Los Angeles surgeon performing the operation discovered an unborn twin instead!

Indiana University PhD student Yamini Karanam, 26, went to several doctors to get checked out, telling NBC:  "Problems with reading comprehension, listening comprehension. If a couple people were talking in a room, I wouldn't understand what was happening."

She found Dr. Hrayr Shahinian at the Skullbase Institute in Los Angeles who has developed a minimally-invasive way of reaching deep into a person's brain to extract tumours. Known as 'keyhole' surgery, the doctor uses an endoscope to enter a tiny incision in the brain to very carefully and precisely get rid of the tumor.

After the procedure, Karanam woke up to learn that what Dr Shahinian thought was a tumor turned out to be her 'evil twin sister who's been torturing me for the past 26 years'.  Even more shocking: the embryotic twin was complete with bone, hair and teeth!

Doctors say the growth, known as a brain teratoma, is very rare.

Karanam is expected to make a full recovery in three weeks but she tells the Washington Post that she now has a strange connection to her twin.

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