Italy: Conjoined twins successfully separated after 18-hour surgery
Joined skull to skull
Ervina and Prefina were born with a condition the Bambino Gesu (Baby Jesus), which Pediatric Hospital in Rome describes as "one of the rarest and most complex forms of cranial and cerebral fusion."
Definitely not a child's play
The little girls came from Bangui, Central African Republic and arrived in Italy in September 2018. According to the hospital, the greatest challenge was the shared network of blood vessels bringing blood from the girls' brains to their hearts.
And to address this challenge required "three very delicate operations to progressively reconstruct two independent venous systems," the hospital added.
First time in history
The hospital said it was the first time in Italy and likely the world that doctors were able to separate twins joined in a manner, where the back of their skull and its venous system were shared.
18-hour surgery
The final surgery took place on June 5, over a period of 18 hours with the involvement of 30 doctors and nurses, when the bones of the shared skull were divided.
Surgeons then recreated the membrane covering the two brains and the skin lining over the now isolated skulls.
'Twins are fine'
"A month after the final separation, the twins are fine," the hospital said.
However, it warned of the risk of infection that still exists, adding that the girls would be needed to wear protective helmets for a few months.
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