Twins conjoined at the head are separated in 25-hour surgery
Summary
Two-year-old twin girls joined at the head were successfully separated during a 25-hour surgery at a children's hospital in St. Louis. The surgery was complex because their brains were partly connected, and the twins came from Ethiopia to Missouri for the procedure.Key Facts
- The twins, Hiyab and Wuhbto, were born in Ethiopia with craniopagus, a rare condition where twins are joined at the head.
- Craniopagus happens in less than 6% of conjoined twins cases and about once in every 2.5 million live births.
- For nearly two years, the twins could hear each other but not see each other’s faces.
- A team of nearly 30 specialists planned the surgery for almost a year before operating.
- The surgery, done in February, lasted 25 hours and involved carefully separating shared blood vessels and parts of the brain.
- Dr. Joanna Kemp, the lead neurosurgeon, was the first woman in the U.S. to perform this type of surgery.
- After the separation, the twins had follow-up skull repair surgeries called cranioplasties.
- The twins are currently receiving care and rehabilitation in Missouri and may soon return to their family in Ethiopia.
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