Delhi: Craniopagus twins to return to home state after successful treatment at AIIMS

New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Craniopagus twins Jagganath and Balram who will soon be discharged from AIIMS are all set to go back to their home state in mid-July after being here for two years.

A high-level meeting is to be held on Saturday between Odisha government and AIIMS regarding the shifting of the two craniopagus twins, successfully separated on October 25, 2017.

A team of medical experts from Odisha and Special Secretary Health in Odisha government held a meeting with AIIMS doctors on April 19 and agreed to shift both the twins back to Odisha.

Assuring their discharge, Dr Deepak Kumar Gupta, Professor Neurosurgery AIIMS, Delhi, told ANI, "As of now both of them are doing extremely well and we are planning to shift them back to their state. They have two elder brothers and even for their normal growth and development it is best to be in home state, speak the language and eat food cooked by mother."

It is almost two years now since they have been separated and in these two years, they are been subjected to extensive rehabilitation care.

The twins hail from Milipada village under Phiringia block in Kandhamal district of Odisha, were joined by the head. They were admitted in AIIMS, Delhi on July 14, 2017 and underwent staged separation.

"Discussion is going on with the Odisha government. They would like to keep them in a stepdown unit in some hospital in Odisha for a few months as a continuation of the rehabilitation. This is mainly because these kids come from a backward district of Odisha and require better care. Where exactly they will be kept is yet to be decided by the state government," said Dr Gupta.

The only surgery left for both these children is "cranioplasty" which rectifies any deformity or skull defect.

Dr Gupta said, "We are planning for cranioplasty in another five years from now once they grow up. We need more healthy skin that should happen only when these children attain a minimum age of 10."

Pushpa Kanhara mother of Jagga and Baliya (Jagganath and Balram popularly known as) said, "They are doing fine now. Jagga is busy playing throughout the day, however, Baliya is a little week."

An extremely rare condition was found in twins joined by the head which is as rare as one in 2.5 million births.

"Since they were admitted here, I have not left India even for once. I decided to go only once they will be discharged from AIIMS," said Dr Deepak.

In the last 100 years, only 50 such children have survived after operation all over the world. This was the first case received in AIIMS where children were infused through the head.