[ad_1]
Australian doctors have separated Siamese twins who have traveled nearly 6,000 km for a life-changing operation.
The 15-month-old twins, Nima and Dawa Pelden, were joined to the stomach and grew up face to face, unable to move alone.
Dr. Joe Crameri, head of pediatric surgery at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, said Friday that surgery was a "relief" and a "joy."
"There is nothing better in an operation than being able to go to the parents and tell them" we have been able to take care of your child, "he said. "I am confident that they will be able to recover from this and go forward."
The twins were flown from their home in Bhutan Australia on Oct. 2 for the operation.
The delicate procedure took place in six hours and involved about 25 surgeons, nurses and anesthetists, according to CNN affiliate, 9 News.
Crameri said there were no surprises, despite concerns that the girls' gut could have been united.
"We were very lucky not to have a significant intestinal attachment and that even though everything was swimming side by side, it was not connected in a major way," Crameri said.
He said that the girl's mother was "very grateful for everything", the doctors were able to do.
"They become grumpy"
Funds for girls' operation, which would cost about $ 180,000 ($ 250,000), according to 9 News, were collected by the Children First Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Melbourne.
"Mom said the girls were getting a little frustrated with each other, as you would at 14 months," said the agency's executive director, Elizabeth Lodge, last month. .
"Like all siblings, they become cranky, so Mom really can not wait for the operation to happen as soon as possible."
The wonderful return journey of the McDonald twins
Born from a caesarean section last year, these girls would be the first Siamese twins in Bhutan.
In addition to mobility and comfort issues, Lodge said the twins had recently lost weight, which was a concern for doctors who are now watching them closely.
Several members of the surgical team had participated in the operation to separate the Bangladeshi twins Trishna and Krishna in 2009.
They were separated after a 27-hour marathon operation, although doctors initially gave them only a 25% chance of success.
Difficult surgery
Siamese twins occur once per 200,000 live births, according to the Medical Center of the University of Maryland. About 70% are women and they are still identical twins.
Scientists believe that Siamese twins grow from a single fertilized egg that fails to separate completely when it splits.
"Although two fetuses develop from this embryo, they will remain physically connected – most often to the chest, abdomen or pelvis. Siamese twins can also share one or more internal organs, "according to the Mayo Clinic.
"The success of the surgery depends on where the twins are joined and the number and number of organs shared, as well as the experience and skills of the surgical team."
They were previously called "Siamese twins", named Eng and Chang Bunker, a set of Siamese twins born in Siam (present-day Thailand) in 1811. They lived up to 63 years and participated in traveling exhibitions. Chang and Eng both married and gave birth to a total of 21 children.
While twins separation surgeries connected to the abdomen and to other parts of their body, twins connected to the head pose a much greater risk.
The case of two American boys gathered at the top of their skull caught the attention of the world in 2016, the doctors having managed to separate them.
