Manama: Rana and Reem, the Saudi conjoined twin girls who were born connected at the lower abdomen are set to undergo a 13-hour separation surgery in Riyadh.
“The surgical team decided to perform the separation operation on Thursday at King Abdul Aziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh,” Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rabeeah, the health minister, said. “The surgery is expected to take 13 hours over 11 phases and will be performed by a multidisciplinary team of 28 members.”
The girls share the same urinary system, reproductive system and part of the digestive system.
The hospital team members are experts in paediatric surgery, paediatric urology, cosmetic surgery, paediatric orthopaedic surgery, nursing and supportive services, the health ministry said.
“In compliance with the directions of the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, a multidisciplinary team, headed by the health minister has held several meetings and conducted the necessary medical examinations on Rana and Reem in order to verify the possibility of separating them,” the ministry said.
Al Rabeeah said that the twins’ condition was stable and that examinations showed that they were conjoined in the lower abdomen. Examinations also indicated that the success rate of the surgery was about 70 per cent, the ministry said on its website.
Saud Arabia has gained an international reputation in performing conjoined twin separation surgeries.
