Saudi conjoined twins Reem and Rana were successfully separated at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs in the Saudi capital, yesterday.
The 13-hour surgery was carried out by a multidisciplinary team headed by Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah. The surgical team comprised 28 members covering anesthesia, pediatric, urology, orthopedics, plastic surgery and nursing.
Health Minister Al-Rabeeah, along with other surgeons, ferried the twins from general ward to the operation theater at 7:45 a.m. The twins were successfully anesthetized at 9:15 a.m. and surgery started at 10:15 a.m.
At 3:15 pm., the twins were successfully separated and placed on different tables. Then the surgeons started closing the wounds.
The surgery was carried out in 11 phases.Besides Al-Rabeeah's overall supervision, the surgeons heading the teams were Dr. Mohammed Al-Jammal (anesthesia); Al-Rabeeah (pediatrics); Dr. Abdullah Al-Thunayan (plastic surgery); Dr. Ahmed Al-Shammari (pediatrics urology); Dr. Hisham Al-Shalaan (pediatrics radiology); and Connie Chan (nursing).
Surgery was performed on a special directive from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to treat the conjoined twins from the Al-Baha Province.
In preparation for the surgery, the Multidisciplinary Team at KAMC (NGHA) for Conjoined Twins met several times to study the case. The clinical tests and investigations revealed that the twins shared the lower abdomen and pelvis, fused uro-genital system, lower back and have one anal canal.
On completion of the surgery, the parents of the twins were happy as well as thankful.
Al-Rabeeah thanked King Abdullah for the magnanimity shown toward caring the sick both in and outside the Kingdom.
Al-Rabeeah, who was the chief executive officer of KAMC until he was named the minister of Health, vowed to continue his contribution toward separation surgeries.
Al-Rabeeah performed the first separation surgery in the Kingdom in December 1990 at Riyadh's King Faisal Specialist Hospital. The operation, which was successful, was performed on Saudi twin girls joined at the stomach.
Saudi Arabia has a team of top surgeons specialized in the separation of twins with the experience of treating 63 twins from 17 countries of which 28 have been successful. The remaining cases were not fit for separation owing to health reasons.
Prior to the surgery, Dr. Bandar Al-Knawy, CEO of King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, said yesterday: "We are thankful to the magnanimity of King Abdullah, who positively responded to several requests to separate the conjoined twins both in the Kingdom and from abroad at state expense."
Arab News
