RI's conjoined babies separated in Singapore<\/p>\n
Sebastian Tong, Reuters\/Singapore<\/p>\n
Doctors in Singapore have separated 15-month-old Indonesian twin
\ngirls conjoined at the waist and hip, a member of the medical
\nteam said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Angeli and Angge, who share three legs and whose intestines
\nare joined, were separated after eight hours of surgery in the
\nGleneagles Hospital.<\/p>\n
\"They have been physically separated, but it does not mean
\nthat they are out of danger,\" a member of the medical team told
\nReuters.<\/p>\n
She added that the operation, which began on Saturday morning,
\nwas continuing as surgeons are reconstructing their abdomens.<\/p>\n
\"I am so relieved. I have hoped for them to be separated and
\nnow it's come true. I looked into the operating room and I saw
\nthe moment when they were separated and another team of doctors
\ncame to stitch their wounds,\" Singapore state broadcaster Channel
\nNewsAsia quoted the girls' father Sobari as saying.<\/p>\n
\"I thank God because both my daughters are now separated, and
\nsafe...I'm asking those of you watching on television to pray for
\nus,\" the girls' mother said.<\/p>\n
The girls, born in rural poverty in Indonesia's province of
\nMedan, were sponsored by wealthy Indonesians after a local doctor
\nrefused to operate on them. The twins arrived in Singapore in
\nFebruary and have undergone a string of medical tests to assess
\nthe risks involved in the operation.<\/p>\n
Keith Goh, the neurosurgeon who led an operation on Iranian
\ntwins in 2003, told Reuters the surgeons in this procedure would
\nhave to create separate digestive systems for both girls.<\/p>\n
Because of their limited ability to move, conjoined twins
\noften succumb to a host of medical problems, including blood
\nclots and pressure sores, said Goh, who was also involved in two
\nother operations on conjoined twins in Singapore.<\/p>\n
State broadcaster Channel NewsAsia reported earlier this week
\nthat the most complex part of the surgery would be to ensure the
\nproper functioning of their lower bodies after separation, as the
\ntwins share one anus. Local media reports have said each girl
\nwould end up with just one leg because the third leg lacks a
\nproper knee or hip joints.<\/p>\n
Conjoined twins occur roughly once in every 50,000 births and
\nonce in every 200,000 live births. Many of those born alive do
\nnot live long. For twins who undergo surgery, one of them often
\ndies after the operation and the rate of survival beyond the age
\nof two is just 20 percent.<\/p>\n
In 2003, Singapore's Raffles Hospital conducted an
\nunprecedented operation to separate Iranian adult twins, Ladan
\nand Laleh Bijani, who were joined at the head. Despite marathon
\n52-hour surgery, led by a team of 28 specialists and 100
\nassistants, the twins died.<\/p>\n
Later in 2003, the hospital performed a successful operation
\nto separate South Korean twin baby girls joined at the spine.<\/p>",
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