British surgeons successfully separate conjoined twins in radical 14-hour operation
Leading British surgeons have performed a stunning and gruelling operation to separate one-year-old conjoined twins who were joined at the head.
The patients, Minal and Mirha, from Pakistan, are said to be recovering in the Turkish hospital where they were treated and are expected to make a full recovery.
The 14-hour procedure at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital on July 19 was performed by Professor Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a pediatric neurosurgeon based at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
The operation was performed by a local team of doctors and consisted of two surgical phases spread over a period of three months.
It was a particularly risky task, as the twins were joined at the front of the head, meaning they shared key blood vessels and brain tissue.
Minal and Mirha from Pakistan successfully completed a 14-hour operation that lasted three months.
Surgeons used advanced virtual reality headsets to ‘practice’ the painstaking procedure
“They are recovering very well, really amazing,” Professor Jeelani told Sky News.
“They should be able to return to Pakistan within a few weeks.”
The extensive team of surgeons used a special form of virtual reality to prepare for the extremely complex operation.
The surgeons practiced their movements using so-called Mixed Reality (MR) technology, which combines 3D images, such as medical scans, with the physical world.
The MRI machine not only allowed the doctors to practice the surgery, but also helped Prof. Jeelani and his team train the doctors at the hospital in Ankara, Turkey, on what to expect.
Dr. Jeelani previously performed surgery to separate Bernardo and Arthur Lima, who were born with fused brains. The twins underwent multiple surgeries in Rio de Janeiro, under Dr. Jeelani’s supervision. Pictured: The twins before the procedure with surgeon Dr. Noor ul Owase Jeelani (right) and their parents Adriely and Antonia Lima (left)
Prof Jeelani is a world expert in highly technical operations like this.
In 2022, he separated three-year-old Brazilian twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima in an operation that lasted a whopping 27 hours.
Dr Jeelani said he was ‘totally shattered’ after the operation, taking only four 15-minute breaks to eat and drink.
But it was “amazing” to see how the family felt “overjoyed” afterwards, he said.
“There were lots of tears and hugs. It was amazing to be able to help them on this journey.”
He added that, like all conjoined twins after separation, the boys’ blood pressure and heart rates were “through the roof” – until they were reunited four days later and touched hands.
Dr Jeelani’s work is supported by his charity Gemini Untwined, which raises money for siblings who are joined at the head at birth.
According to figures from Gemini, one in 60,000 births results in conjoined twins. Only 5 percent of these are so-called craniopagus babies, meaning that their heads and shoulders are joined.
The life expectancy of twins who are not separated is very low.
About 40 percent of twins with joined heads are stillborn or die during childbirth.