PhD's Brain Tumor Determined As Her Unborn Twin

Doctors who suspected a brain tumor in a 26-year old in Indiana were surprised when they found that the mass was an embryonic twin earlier this month.

Yamini Karanam, a doctoral candidate at Indiana University experienced all symptoms that led doctors to diagnose a growing tumor in the pineal region of the brain. Karanam had blogged about how the tumor affected her life as it was causing headaches and fatigue. However removal was not offered until Karanam met Dr. Hrayr Shaninian at Skullbase Institute in Los Angeles who agreed to treat her.

When Dr. Shaninian operated her, he was shocked when he saw the mass had hair, teeth, tissue and did not resemble the other 7,000 odd tumors that he had removed during his career a neurosurgeon. He had removed a teratoma - an embryonic tumor, only once before.

"What we did was to use natural spaces within the brain to slowly reach to the mass through a keyhole surgery," he explained to NBC News.

Teratomas are highly unusual and benign. While Yamini said her 'evil twin' had bothered her for 26-years, Dr. Shaninian joked the twin was not evil as it was benign. Yamini is expected to make a full recovery in three weeks.