Saudi team completes 16-hour separation of Tanzanian twins

Dubai: A Saudi medical and surgical team has successfully separated Tanzanian conjoined twins in a complex operation lasting 16 and a half hours at a specialist hospital in Riyadh, in yet another milestone for the Kingdom’s long-running conjoined twins programme.

The operation to separate the twins, Nancy and Nice, was carried out at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital at King Abdulaziz Medical City under the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs.

Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, said the procedure was completed across 10 stages with the participation of 35 consultants, specialists, nurses and technical staff from multiple disciplines.

The team included experts in anaesthesia, paediatric surgery, plastic surgery, paediatric urology and paediatric orthopaedics, alongside other supporting specialties, to ensure the highest levels of precision and safety throughout the operation.

Al Rabeeah explained that the twins were joined at the lower chest, abdomen and pelvis. Each child had one lower limb, while sharing a third deformed limb. They also shared parts of the liver, large intestine, anus, urinary and reproductive systems, in addition to abnormalities in the shared external reproductive organs.

He said the operation is the third successful separation of conjoined twins from Tanzania and the 71st procedure carried out under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme.

According to Al Rabeeah, the programme has operated for more than 35 years, covering 28 countries and reviewing 157 cases from around the world, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s role in humanitarian and specialised medical work.

He credited the continued support of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Mohammed bin Salman for helping the Kingdom become a leading global centre in the field.

The twins’ family expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership and the medical team for the care provided and the efforts made to ensure the success of the surgery.