Surgical separation of Saudi conjoined twins successful

RIYADH — The surgical separation of Saudi female conjoined twins that lasted six and a half hours was successful on Thursday. The operation was conducted in six stages at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital under King Abdulaziz Medical City, affiliated with the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. Advisor at the Royal Court, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, and Head of the medical and surgical Team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah led the medical and surgical team consisting of 23 consultants, specialists, and technical and nursing staff. Dr. Al-Rabeeah thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for the generous support provided to the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has made the Kingdom a distinguished global center in this field. He also extended thanks to the medical and surgical team members for their efforts, which led to this new medical achievement.Dr. Al-Rabeeah said the twins are 20 days old and were born conjoined in the lower chest and abdominal area, with each having fully formed upper and lower limbs. “Multiple medical examinations showed that the twins together weigh approximately five kilograms and share the liver, stomach, and intestines, in addition to the presence of an external sac in the abdominal wall due to a congenital defect, which exerts significant pressure on the stomach, making feeding difficult. The risk rate of the operation to the twins’ lives was about 40 percent,” he said while noting that this operation is number 69 within the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which, since 1990, has cared for 157 twins from 28 countries across five continents. He highlighted the Kingdom’s leading role in humanitarian work in general and in the medical field in particular.The family of the Saudi conjoined twins expressed their deep gratitude and appreciation to King Salman and the Crown Prince for the high-level medical care provided to the twins. They praised the great efforts made by the medical team to ensure the operation’s success and the safety of the two girls.