They were born fused, had common intestinal and urinary tracts. Parts of their pelvises, spines, hipbones and legs were also fused. Finally, the twins have recovered from the surgery and are ready to go home, separated.
Doctors of Batra hospital have tied up with a private hospital in Patna, where the twins will get free medical treatment. The daughters of a daily wager, Subhash Mukhiya, and Nirmala Devi, Sita and Gita hail from Bhawanipur Kushwaha village in Bihar’s East Champaran district.
The 14-hour long surgery involved separating their spines and pelvises as also the intestines followed by splitting of the common anal canal (faecal tract). The anal openings, the vaginal openings and the urinary tracts were then reconstructed and skin defects closed using constructed skin flaps. A team of 27 specialists including paediatric surgeons, critical care specialists, orthopaedics and plastic surgeons were involved in conducting the surgery.
Surgeries to separate conjoined twins have been few and far between. Very few cases have been successfully operated upon worldwide and in India the number of such surgeries performed is almost negligible.
