Los Angeles, Sept 12: Twin girls, born joined from the stomach to the hip, were successfully separated, doctors said. The nine-month-old girls were listed in serious but stable condition last evening in an intensive care unit at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Surgeons began the nearly 24-hour operation Wednesday morning, delicately separating a number of the girls' internal organs.
The identical twins were each born with one normally developed leg, and they shared a conjoined leg. Doctors used that leg to replace tissue and bone in the girls' pelvic regions. Lead Surgeon James Stein said he was pleased with the operation.
``For the girls, it's the beginning of a life with two separate bodies able now to participate in society as two individuals,'' he said. The large intestine could not be divided and went to one twin. surgeons also performed a liver separation and did reconstruction on the girls' urinary and reproductive tracts.
Doctors declined to identify the babies or their parents, citing the family's request for privacy.
The girls were born with a fraternal triplet sister who developed normally. The case marks the second known instance of conjoined twins born as part of a triplet set, according to the hospital. Bureau Report