Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Conjoined Moroccan twins successfully separated in Riyadh
Conjoined twins from Morocco were successfully separated on Saturday at King Abdul Aziz Medical City of Riyadh.
- By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
- Published: 16:00 June 21, 2009
Riyadh: Conjoined twins from Morocco were successfully separated on Saturday at King Abdul Aziz Medical City of Riyadh.
The operation, headed by the Minister of Health Dr Abdullah Al Rabee'ah, took more than 11 hours to complete and makes it the 22nd successful separation by Saudi medical teams in 19 years.
“The seven-phase surgical process did not encounter any major difficulties and all the organs of the separated girls were functioning well,'' Al Rabee'ah told reporters after the surgery.
The girls, Aziza and Sa'eeda, were conjoined at the liver, pancreas and upper small intestine.
The King Abdul Aziz Medical City of Riyadh has successfully separated conjoined twins of various nationalities brought to the Kingdom from all over the world. The average cost for each surgical separation is estimated at Saudi Riyal 3 million.
According to medical studies, nearly 60 per cent of conjoined twins die during delivery while another 35 per cent could live for a few days after birth.
Dr Hala Alam, a pediatric consultant at the Intensive Care Unit of the medical city, said the separated twins will remain on ventilator and will be subjected to close monitoring by a specialized medical team for the next 3 to 5 days.
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