SAUDI ARABIA: Surgeons successfully separate a pair of four-month-old conjoined twins in Riyadh

Record ID: 189015

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Surgeons successfully separate a pair of four-month-old conjoined twins in Riyadh
  • Date: 20th September 2012
  • Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 13, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MEDICAL OPERATION MONITOR MORE OF MEDICAL OPERATION NURSE WITH SURGICAL EQUIPMENT DOCTORS DURING SURGERY CLOSE-UP OF DOCTOR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DR.ABDULLAH AL-RABEEAH, SAUDI HEALTH MINISTER AND HEAD OF SURGICAL TEAM, SAYING: "The twin Rana was separated form Reem and now for the first time in their lives, they are each on a separate bed. The surgical team was divided into two teams to complete the remaining stages, which are the ninth, tenth and 11th stages of the operation - to break and rebuild the bones of the pelvis, then to restore the urinary tracts, then to restore the lower genital tract, and to restore the intestines, followed by covering the wounds." MORE OF SURGERY CLOSE OF NURSE WIPING OFF DOCTOR'S SWEAT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DR.ABDULLAH AL-RABEEAH, SAUDI HEALTH MINISTER AND HEAD OF SURGICAL TEAM, SAYING: "Praise God, 30 twins have so far been separated. Today was the thirtieth set of twins. Through the grace of God, we have had great success and have achieved one of the best surgical success rates in the world, and this has been recorded internationally amongst doctors who specialise in paediatric surgery." MORE OF SURGERY DOCTORS DURING SURGERY VARIOUS OF DOCTOR CHECKING SURGICAL EQUIPMENT PHOTOGRAPHER LEAVING SURGERY ROOM BANNER WITH ARABIC WRITING READING ENGLISH "SEPARATION SURGERY OF SAUDI TWINS" PICTURE OF RANA AND REEM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMMAD AL-HARTHY, FATHER OF CONJOINED TWINS, SAYING: "My feeling is that of any one whose children are in surgery. We give our thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his wise government, and to the Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and his team who are making this surgery possible." BANNER SHOWING TWINS AND SAUDI KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL AZIZ
  • Embargoed: 5th October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Health,People,Science
  • Reuters ID: LVADWT3UEK266CFO17E4C8PSWLKD
  • Story Text: A team of surgeons in Saudi Arabia recently separated a pair of twin girls during a complex and lengthy operation.
    Four-month-old Rana and Reem shared the same urinary and reproductive systems, and had partially shared digestive systems, posing a challenge to the medical team in Riyadh's King Abdullaziz Medical Centre.
    "The twin Rana was separated form Reem and now for the first time in their lives, they are each on a separate bed. The surgical team was divided into two teams to complete the remaining stages, which are the ninth, tenth and 11th stages of the operation - to break and rebuild the bones of the pelvis, then to restore the urinary tracts, then to restore the lower genital tract, and to restore the intestines, followed by covering the wounds," said Saudi health minister Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah who led the team of 28 surgeons and nurses covering anaesthesia, paediatrics, urology, orthopaedics and plastic surgery.
    The surgery lasted for 13 hours and carried out in 11 phases. After the separation was conducted on September 13, the twins were placed on an artificial respirator. On Wednesday (September 19), the hospital said the twins were off any intravenous tubes and were being fed milk from the bottle.
    For al-Rabeeah, the surgery was not the first time. In December 1990, he led a team that successfully separated twin girls joined at the stomach.
    According to media reports, Saudi Arabia's team of surgeons specializing in the separation of twins have treated 63 twins from 17 countries of which 29 have been successful. The remaining cases were not fit for separation owing to health reasons.
    "Praise God, 30 twins have so far been separated. Today was the thirtieth set of twins. Through the grace of God, we have had great success and have achieved one of the best surgical success rates in the world, and this has been recorded internationally amongst doctors who specialise in paediatric surgery," said al-Rabeeah.
    The parents of the twins, who come from Saudi Arabia's al-Baha province in the southwest of the country, thanked Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz who had funded the operation.
    "My feeling is that of any one whose children are in surgery. We give our thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his wise government, and to the Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and his team who are making this surgery possible," said Mohammad al-Harthy, father of the twins.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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