AIIMS doctors complete first phase surgery of conjoined twins

The second phase which is extremely important is yet to be performed: AIIMS doctor

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A team of doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) performing a complicated surgery to separate a pair of conjoined twins from Odisha has completed 30 per cent of the surgery and the condition of the twins who are joined at the head is stable.

"First phase of the multistage surgery was successful. It means 30 per cent of the surgery is complete. However, the second phase which is extremely important is yet to be performed," a doctor, part of the medical team treating the twins, told IANS.

Doctors from the neurosurgery, anesthesia and pediatrics departments met early Tuesday to discuss the matter, he added.

The medical team treating the twins comprises 40 members, including a top surgeon from Japan.

"A new bypass technique was used for the first time on the twins conjoined at the head," said Deepak Gupta, paediatric neurosurgeon at AIIMS, part of the team.

The surgery for separation of conjoined twins Jaga and Balia is being performed in two stages. The first stage began at 9 a.m 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 of Odisha.

One of the major concerns during the operation was to prevent blood loss and handle intra-operative complications, which was successfully taken care of, said an AIIMS doctor. "The surgery was uneventful and there was no major blood loss or intra-operative problems."

According to doctors, ahead of this complicated surgery, the twins had to undergo numerous tests.

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 sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the surgery at AIIMS.

Earlier, the twins had undergone medical check up at at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.