Conjoined twins joined at the head successfully separated in Brazil. “It was probably the most difficult, complex and challenging surgery of my career,” neurosurgeon Gabriel Mufarrej of the IECPN Brain Center in Rio de Janeiro said on Monday about the separation of three-year-old twins Arthur and Bernardo Lima.
“At first no one thought it was possible. Saving both was a historic achievement,” the doctor said. He and his colleagues also used virtual reality to prepare the procedures. With brain scans they made a kind of map of the heads of Arthur and Bernardo and they practiced the complicated actions beforehand.
British surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani, who was involved in the project, spoke of “space” technology. “It’s just great. It’s great to be able to see the anatomy and do the surgery (almost) before the kids are at any risk.”
Medical team had nearly 100 members
The siblings from the northern Brazilian state of Roraima, who were born in 2018 and will soon turn four years old, were so-called craniopagus twins. That means they were connected to the head, which is very rare. To separate them, a total of nine operations were needed, the last of which took 23 hours. The medical team had nearly 100 members. The procedure was complicated by the fact that the twins shared important brain vessels.
Probably need further interventions
Photos and videos released after the successful surgeries show the siblings in a hospital bed, holding hands. The boys are still recovering from the surgery and may need more surgeries in the future. Bernardo has motor disorders on the right side of his body. “It will take them a while to get to where we want them,” surgeon Mufarrej said. “But I believe in her.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
