Complex surgery successfully separates Fijian conjoined twins
Surgeons in Saudi Arabia successfully separated 13-month-old conjoined twins from Fiji in a complex 13-hour operation. The procedure was performed for free as part of a humanitarian program.
Why it matters
This case highlights the role of international medical humanitarian programs in providing life-saving care for rare conditions in developing nations.
The twins are the second publicly recorded conjoined case in Fiji in the past 50 years. ( Supplied: Sarah Almarzuki/King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre )
Link copied Share Share article Doctors in Saudi Arabia say a complex operation to separate 13-month-old Fijian conjoined twins has been successful.
In what was described as an "exceptionally rare" case, the sisters, Dicecea and Jesepeli Kikau, were born joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis.
It is a condition known as omphalo-ischiopagus tetrapus.
The girls had their own hearts and lungs and required an almost 13-hour operation to separate their liver, bowel, urinary tract and anal canal.
As the procedure reached a critical stage on Thursday night, local time, doctors announced they had successfully separated the pair and were starting on their reconstruction.
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