Tanzanian conjoined twins embark on separate lives after 16-hour operation in Saudi Arabia

Dubai: Tanzanian conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Omari Saidi have been successfully separated following a 16-hour surgical procedure in Riyadh. The complicated operation was conducted at the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in the King Abdulaziz Medical City, under the Ministry of National Guard.

The medical team, headed by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Advisor at the Royal Court and General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), conducted the surgery.

In the lead-up to the surgical procedure, the two-year-old twins, weighing a combined 13.5 kilograms, were flown in from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 23 aboard a medical evacuation plane.

Upon their arrival, they were immediately transferred to the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital. The team carried out comprehensive medical checkups to evaluate the feasibility of a successful surgical separation, as said by Dr. Al Rabeeah in a press briefing.

Through a series of extensive medical examinations, it was determined that the twins were conjoined at the lower chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Each twin had one lower limb, sharing a third deformed one.

Furthermore, they were conjoined in critical areas such as the liver, intestines, and urinary system, sharing one male reproductive organ, with deformities present in the lower abdominal wall and urinary bladder.

The highly complex operation was meticulously planned and executed over nine phases by a dedicated team of 35 medical professionals, including doctors, specialists, technical experts, and nursing staff.