Medical breakthrough in Indian medical history. For the very first time in India, forty doctors at AIIMS attempt to split twins joined at the head.
AIIMS doctors take up surgery of conjoined twins
HIGHLIGHTS
- Doctors at AIIMS attempt to split twins joined at the head
- A very rare occurrence, only one in 200000 births are of this kind
- It may create history and hope for future prospects
For the very first time in India, doctors at AIIMS attempt to split twins joined at the head. The surgery began on Monday, at 9am. The twins from Odisha, Jaga and Balia are healthy and playful kids. They are two years and four months old and joined at head. This is a very rare occurrence, only one in 200000 births are of this kind. In India, four in ten such births die when born and additional three die within 24-hours. Since 1952, 50 such attempts have been carried out across the world and the success rate is below 25%.
"We are hoping to save both but even if one of the twins survives, it will be a historic achievement," one of the doctors said.
The case of these two twins is even more complicated because they share veins that return blood to the heart from the brain. Doctors plan to conduct this surgery by creating alternative venous, expand the skin and then separate the brain. This will be the first stage. The second stage will be complete separation and skin closure.
"This attempt to separate them, if successful, will provide hope and test the frontiers of science," says a doctor.
20 specialists from paediatric neurosurgery, neuro-anaesthesia, plastic surgery and cardiovascular sciences have decided to take up this operation. Other than these, a Japanese surgeon has been called to assist in the procedure.
Initially, doctors at AIIMS had been doubtful about the surgery too. But the fact that this may create history and hope for future prospects gave them a boost to take up this surgery.
"Multiple MRIs and angiograms were done to examine the brain structure of the twins over the last one month. We went through literature on such surgeries conducted worldwide and even contacted some of the surgeons who did them. Finally, it was decided to take up the case for surgery with the hope of saving at least one of the twins," said a surgeon.
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