Twins joined at the head successfully split in first-of-its-kind surgery
For what an Italian hospital said was a first-of-its-kind procedure, two-year – old conjoined twins have been successfully separated.
The twins-Ervina and Prefina-had been joined above the nape of their necks.
They were born with a condition described Tuesday by the Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù in Rome as “one of the rarest and most complex forms of cranial and cerebral fusion,” reports Agence France-Presse.
However, surgeons succeeded in separating the girls and they are doing well.
The hospital — whose name translates to Baby Jesus Pediatric Hospital — said it was the first time that surgeons were able to separate twins who shared the back of their skull and venous system in Italy, and probably the world.
According to AFP, the two sisters were brought to Italy from Bangui, Central African Republic, in September 2018, after the president of the hospital met with the babies and their mom where they were born.
Medical tests showed that the girls were generally in good health, but one sister’s heart worked harder to preserve the “physiological balance of the organs of both, including the brain,” the outlet reported.
According to the hospital, the twins had “distinct” personalities, with Prefina being vivacious and adventurous while Ervina was observing more seriously and quietly.
The biggest challenge doctors face was the common network of blood vessels that carried blood from the brains of the girls to their hearts, the hospital said.
It necessitated “three very delicate operations to progressively reconstruct two independent venous systems,” it added.
The twins underwent the final operation on June 5, which took 18 hours and involved 30 doctors and nurses working to separate the common skull’s bones.
The surgeons then rebuilt the membrane that covers the two brains, recreating the skin covering over the new skulls of the children.
“A month after the final separation, the twins are fine,” said the hospital, which shared a video of a party it threw on June 29 for their second birthday.
In the video, the girls are seen with their heads wrapped in protective bandages as their beaming mum carried them.
The hospital said the girls would have to wear protective helmets for a few months due to the ongoing risk of infection, but their brains were found to be “intact” and they will have the opportunity to “lead a normal life, like all girls of their age.”
