In another medical marvel, doctors at Apollo Hospitals successfully separated rare thoraco-omphalopagus twins who were joined at the lower chest and abdomen. Technical and medical expertise helped prevent excessive blood loss during the separation, which was one of the most crucial aspects of the surgery along with precise division of the shared structures. Exactly a year back, Ericana and Eluidi, also from Tanzania, were the first pair of pygopagus male twins to be successfully separated in India by Apollo Hospitals.
Hailing from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzanian twins Abriana and Adriana, of eight-and-a-half months, were operated for 11 hours by a team of 50 staff members, including surgeons, nurses and intensive care specialists. Father Jimmy Mtemi and mother Carolyn Zakaria were visibly elated post the procedure.
Since 2007, eight pairs of conjoined twins with fused livers and intestines have been reported after separation from various parts of India. Aradhana and Stuthi were the only pair of twins with two hearts in one cavity — a condition similar to the case of the Tanzanian twins. Though separation was successful, Aradhana died after three weeks reportedly after heart attacks.
Adriana and Abriana beat incredible odds to survive this rare procedure, which involved separation of the pericardium (heart lining), diaphragm and the connected livers. Conjoined births are rare — one in 50,000 to one in a lakh. However, more than 35 per cent die after birth, said hospital officials.
“An important aspect of the surgery is the careful closure of the huge defect created by the separation. After the separation, Adriana’s heart had to be covered with bovine pericardium and carefully closed with skin and soft tissue. The liver, which was abnormally large, could not be fully reduced in both babies. It took almost four hours and two teams to provide cover for the heart, liver and intestine,” added Dr KS Sivakumar, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, under whom the twins were admitted.