Saudi Surgeons Successfully Seperate Syrian Conjoined Twins

A team of Saudi surgeons successfully completed a complex seven-and-a-half-hour operation to separate Syrian conjoined twins at the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh.

The twins-Bassam and Ihsan- are 32 months old and weigh around 19 kilograms. After the long procedure, both of them were in stable condition.

This separation surgery took place in five stages and 26 specialists participated in the seven-and-a-half-hour operation. 

The conjoined twins shared a lower chest, abdomen, liver, and intestines with Ihsan being the dominant twin as Bassam was missing urinary and reproductive organs.

However, even after the surgery, Ihsan's situation remains critical because he has congenital heart defects and cerebral development atrophy. 

The twins are now in a children's intensive care unit where they will remain under supervision. 

The operation was the 58th procedure conducted under a Saudi program, which has supervised 130 cases since 1990.

The twins and their parents flew in from Türkiye on May 22 for the procedure.