Conjoined twin separated from stillborn brother in Israel

 

 

 

Israeli surgeons successfully separated a conjoint twin from his stillborn baby brother in a rare and complex operation, doctors at Rambam hospital, in the northern port city of Haifa, said Thursday.

 

One of the twins did not develop properly, resulting in the healthy sibling having an extra pair of arms and legs, pelvis, hips and digestive system, which were successfully removed Sunday.

 

The twins only shared one organ: a liver, which was left in the healthy sibling.

 

The surviving newborn, however, remains in a life-threatening condition because of a heart problem.

 

Ran Steinberg, the head of Rambam's Child Surgery who led the operating team, said that while the procedure was successful, "in a large number of cases, there is also a cardiac defect, as in this case, which is threatening the infant."

 

Israel's biggest-selling daily, Yediot Ahronot, said the case of one partially developed foetus growing on a healthy one is extremely rare and occurs one in a million.

 

Rambam hospital said only some 150 cases have been documented worldwide over the 126 years.

 

- Sapa