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Lithopedion: Circumstances, Commonality, Symptoms, Diagnoses, Case Exploration & Ethical Considerations of Disposition in Antemortem Extraction and Post-Mortem Removal

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  1. 1 Plaza College, New York, USA
Forensic Medicine and Anatomy Research·Volume 14, Issue 2·Pages 23–35·Published 8 April 2026·DOI10.4236/fmar.2026.142003
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Abstract

Lithopedion is an extremely infrequent marvel of medical science in which a female becomes abdominally pregnant, the fetus dies, and the expired fetus becomes calcified [1]. The term lithopedion was derived from the Greek words lithos, which translates to stone, and paidion, which translates to child. Henceforth, lithopedion is more commonly referred to, outside the scientific community, as stone baby.

KeywordsLithopedionLithokelyphosLithotecnonLithokelyphopedionAntemortem Incidental FindingsPost-Mortem DiscoveriesMedicolegal EthicsAbdominal PregnancySurgical ExtractionSurgical RemovalStone Baby
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