The parents of the Iraqi siamese twins have renamed their sons Rashid and Hamdan in gratitude for the generosity of the emirate in funding the delicate operation that helped separate the two boys.
The surgery was personally financed by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister.
The surgery was performed by a team of doctors at the Dubai Hospital on Sunday. The infants, born on August 7, were joined at the pelvis.
Investigations showed that there was no bone connection between the two boys but there were abnormalities at the urinary bladder and the bowels. The kidneys functioned well in both but a bladder was exposed, while the other bladder was internal.
One of the twins after separation. |
Ahmed Ghazi, the father of the twins, was very happy and appreciated Sheikh Mohammed's gesture. "My wife and I were really confused how to buy new Eid clothes for our babies, but now after the surgery, thank God we can buy clothes for them," said Ghazi.
Ghazi said he has changed the name of the his twins from Hassan and Hussain to Rashid and Hamdan after the sons of Sheikh Mohammed.
The twins are under 24-hours surveillance in the Intensive Care Unit at Dubai Hospital.
Speaking to Gulf News, Dr. Essa Kazim, Assistant Hospital Director (Medical Affairs) and Head of the Department of Urology, said that the surgery was performed by a team of local doctors which was assisted by a group of experts from the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London.
"The bladder on the surface of the skin in fact belonged to both boys, a half for each, and there was one ureter opening into each half. The urinary bladder on the inside was also a joined one, with half belonging to each twin. It was also found that whilst each twin had his own bowel, there was only one colon," said Dr Kazim.
He added that during the operation, each bladder was divided and moved over to its respective twin. The penises, which were also separated at birth, had to be reconstructed completely.
It is expected that the boys will be able to walk normally. The operation was a complete success in terms of survival and extent of reconstructive surgery.
The next day, the infants were removed from breathing machines and are now breathing on their own.
Plaster casts of gypsum are being used to keep their legs together until the bones have healed and these casts would be removed in three weeks.