By the time they arrived, Ritag’s heart was already failing. The girls were separated over four stages. Two initial operations took place in May, before tissue expanders were inserted in July and the final separation was attempted on August 15. The parents had approached children’s charity Facing the World for help, and the organisation funded and arranged their separation.
The girls suffered from the rare condition of craniopagus, and the surgery was carried out by a team led by David Dunaway. A statement from Facing the World said: ‘Within days the twins were back on the general ward interacting and playing as before. ‘Their laughter and delight in the world has been an inspiration throughout the months of worry.
‘Very soon, their parents will be able to fulfil their dream of taking home two healthy, separate daughters.’ The girls’ parents said: ‘We are very thankful to be able to look forward to going home with two separate, healthy girls. 'We are very grateful to all the doctors who volunteered their time and to Facing the World for organising all the logistics and for paying for the surgery.
‘We feel very lucky that our girls have been able to have the surgery that they needed, but we also know of other children who need complete sponsorship and families who are searching for someone to help them.’ Conjoined twins are extremely rare, occurring in only one in every 100,000 live births. They are three times more likely to be girls. In nearly three-quarters of cases, the twins are connected mid-torso.
Just 4 per cent of cases involve fused skulls, and most are stillborn or do not survive longer than 24 hours.
Rital and Ritag were born with one of the most serious forms of the condition as they shared blood vessels and there was significant blood flow between their brains. Ritag supplied half her sister’s brain with blood and drained most of it back to her own body to re-oxygenate – meaning her heart was doing most of the work for both of them. Any significant drop in blood pressure during surgery could have caused brain damage.
While both girls are as alert as they were before the operation, it could be years before their parents and doctors discover if they have suffered any long-term problems.
* To donate to Facing the World visit www.facingtheworld.net
Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039009/A-10m-success-twins-joined-head-separated.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
