Fetus papyraceous disguised as compound presentation: A case report

and importance: Fetus papyraceous (FP) is a rare condition that describes a mummified fetus in a multiple gestation pregnancy in which one fetus dies and becomes flattened between the membranes of the other fetus and uterine wall. Compound presentation occurs when the fetus's arm or leg is next to the main presenting part, very often the vertex is combined with arm presentation. A severe complication can occur in mother and child in such cases.

We report a case of incidental finding of fetus papyraceous disguised as a compound presentation during normal delivery which was managed successfully without any complication.

Regular antenatal chorionicity assessment is essential for early diagnosis of fetus papyraceous and reduces mortality and morbidity in the surviving fetus.

Early identification of such cases is necessary as it is associated with severe complications like preterm labor, infection from a retained fetus, severe puerperal hemorrhage, consumptive coagulopathy like disseminated intravascular coagulation, and obstruction by a low-lying fetus papyraceus producing dystocia leading to cesarean birth.