30% separation surgery of Kandhamal conjoined twins completed

New Delhi: The 40-member team of doctors, performing a complicated operation to separate the conjoined twins of Kandhamal at AIIMS-New Delhi, has completed 30 per cent of the surgery and the condition of the twins is stated to be stable.
“The first phase of the surgery was successful. It means 30 per cent of the surgery is completed. However, the second phase which is extremely important is yet to be performed. The team of doctors from the neurosurgery, anesthesia, and pediatrics met today to discuss the matter,” a doctor, part of the medical team treating the twins, said on Tuesday.
A surgeon from Japan is also part of the team.
The first phase of the surgery began at 9.30 am on Monday and was scheduled to take seven hours. However, the procedure took nearly 20 hours due to medical complications. The two-and-a-half-year-old craniopagus twins, or fused at the cranium, were brought to AIIMS on July 14 from Milipada village in Kandhamal district.
While conjoined twins are known to occur in about every 2,00,000 births, craniopagus twins are rarer still, accounting for about only two per cent.
The Odisha government has already sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the surgery at AIIMS. (agencies)