Conjoined twins separated in Yogyakarta

YOGYAKARTA: Doctors at state-owned Sardjito Hospital here successfully separated on Wednesday 25-day-old conjoined twins Siti Maryati and Siti Maryani.

The babies were born on Jan. 17. They were delivered by caesarean section at Margohusada Hospital in Wonogiri, Central Java.

Their parents, Daryono, 27, and Luluk Kusnaini, 30, live in Pencil hamlet in Wonogiri.

The babies, who were attached at the abdomen, were transferred to Sardjito Hospital after their birth.

Conjoined twins, according to Dr. Ahmad Suryono, occur in one in every 250,000 pregnancies, with 50 percent of the twins dying before birth. Another 5 percent to 30 percent die after birth.

"We hope Siti Maryani and Siti Maryati do well and are healthy," Ahmad Suryono said. -- JP