Conjoined Twins Sharing Liver and Stomach Successfully Get Separated After 11-Hour Historic Surgery

A pair of conjoined twin babies who shared the stomach area successfully got separated after an 11-hour surgery performed in Texas.

Historic Surgery That Separated Conjoined Twin Babies

According to the Daily Mail, both JamieLynn Rae and AmieLynn Rose were 16-week-old babies who were joined at the abdominal area. They shared muscle, skin, and one liver.

According to a 2016 report by the National Institute of Health, omphalopagus twins, which refers to twins who share an abdominal wall and gastrointestinal system, have the highest survival chances after an operation. The agency also notes that around 10% of conjoined babies are omphalopagus twins.

The entire procedure involved the expertise of 25 medics from the Cook Children's Medical Center. This number also included six different surgeons. According to CBS News, the team was split and had specific delegations. They had to focus on JamieLynn or AmieLynn's specific surgeries when the process of separating them was done.

Daily Mail reports that the procedure was planned for months. The team led by lead surgeon Dr. José Iglesias built prosthetic versions in order to map out the exact surgery procedures. The surgeons painted the toenails of one twin purple and the other one green. Different surgeons were also assigned to each twin and wore the same color-coded caps.

Specifically, the team of JamieLynn wore purple hats while the team of AmieLynn wore green ones.

The surgery was the first time for Dr. José Iglesias and the entire medical center to proceed with such a surgery. CBS News also reports that senior vice president Wini King, who is also the chief of communications diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Cook Children's Health Care System, expressed how the day was both historic and amazing. President and CEO Rick Merrill also shared how it was a magical moment for them.

Now, for the first time, the twins are sleeping in different cribs.

Defying the Odds

Even before they proceeded with the surgery, the pair of twins had already overcome and defied various odds. CBS News reports that this birth condition is quite rare and that, though specialists think that the incidence of this condition is globally underreported, statistics currently show that such a condition occurs with a ratio of one for every 50,000 to 200,000 births. The National Institute of Health also reports that among those conjoined twins who survive birth. around 25% of them are able to reach the eligibility age for separation surgery.

Dr. Iglesias expresses his happiness regarding the progress of the twins. The team is focusing on the healing of the twins. He notes that there are several risks for certain things, but that the team is monitoring such risk factors.

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