DUBAI: A medical team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program began on Wednesday to separate Egyptian twins at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor at the royal court and supervisor general of the Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief, who heads the team, said the twins are joined at the back, lower chest, abdomen and pelvis, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
One of the twins lacks essential organs, including a heart and head, and suffers from severe congenital defects, making survival impossible.
The complex operation is expected to last approximately 11 hours and will proceed in six stages.
It involves a multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants, specialists, and support staff in fields including anesthesia, neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, and plastic surgery.
Al-Rabeeah described the case as one of the most delicate the team has undertaken, noting the shared spinal canal as a major surgical challenge.
Advanced imaging and surgical microscopes will be used to ensure precision, he said.
This marks the 63rd separation procedure under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has reviewed 149 cases from 27 countries since its inception in 1990.
