CONJOINED TWINS IN Texas have been successfully separated after a gruelling operation lasting over 24 hours.
Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata are twin girls joined at the chest and abdomen, sharing a number of organs.
Dangerous Surgery
After living for over 10 months conjoined together, the two girls were successful separated last week at Texas Children’s Hospital.
The hospital described it as a “first-of-its-kind surgery”.
Posting the photo below, their father today posted on Facebook that his children were doing well and thanked people for their support.
Glory be to God. My beautiful baby girls were successfully separated on February 18, 2015. A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported us on our journey and stood by our side throughout one of the most difficult times in our lives. Every little prayer mattered, and every little bit of encouragement that we received means the world to us!
The lead surgeon Dr Darrell Cass described the surgery as one of the riskiest in history.
These girls were now going to have that potential of having an independent life.
Medical team of over 50 people
He said the surgery stretched over 24 hours and involved a medical team of over 50 people.
The team included 12 surgeons, six anaesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses, among many others who worked together to separate the girls who shared a chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis.
“This is the first time a separation surgery for thoraco-omphalo-ischiopagus twins with this particular configuration has been successful,” said Dr. Cass.
“This surgery was not without its challenges with the girls sharing several organ systems.”
Our team has been preparing for this surgery for months and we’ve done everything from working with our radiology experts to build a 3-D model of their organs, to conducting simulations of the actual separation surgery.
The two girls were born on 11 April, weighing just 3 pounds, 7 ounces each.
For the last 10 months, Knatalye and Adeline were cared for by a team of specialists in the neonatal intensive care unit at Texas Children’s Hospital.
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