A Saudi medical team began surgery on Thursday to separate Tanzanian conjoined twins Laitience and Loveness. The children are two years and two months old.
The procedure is taking place at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital inside King Abdulaziz Medical City. It forms part of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah leads the initiative. He also serves as supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief and heads the medical and surgical team.
Al-Rabeeah said the twins arrived in Saudi Arabia on January 27. Specialists conducted comprehensive medical examinations following their admission to the hospital.
Medical staff held several consultations to assess the condition of the children and determine the appropriate surgical approach. The twins are joined at the pelvis and hips.
They share four lower limbs, according to the medical team. The patients also share the lower part of the intestines, lumbar vertebrae, spinal column and spinal cord.
The children underwent a skin expansion procedure over several months. This preparation took place ahead of the separation surgery.
The operation was expected to take about 15 hours across nine stages. Al-Rabeeah estimated the success rate for the procedure at 70 percent.
A team of 44 consultants, specialists, nurses, and technical staff participated in the procedure. The personnel covered anesthesia, pediatric surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, urology, and plastic surgery.
This procedure marks the fourth separation operation involving conjoined twins from Tanzania. It is also the 75th operation conducted under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
The program was established in 1990. Since then, it has cared for 160 twins from 29 countries across five continents.
Al-Rabeeah thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on behalf of himself and the medical and surgical team. He expressed gratitude for their continued support of the program.
He said their support enabled the team to provide specialized medical care and improve the quality of life of the children it cared for.
