A pair of Tanzanian twins, who were born conjoined were successfully separated after a nine-hour long operation with minimal blood loss by 11 surgeons from Apollo Hospitals in Dubai, UAE.

Abriana and Adriana, the 11-month old twins of Jimmy Mtemi and Carolina Zakaria, hailing from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, had a condition called ‘thoraco omphalopagus’, where the chest and the abdomen are fused, said a statement.

The babies also shared a common heart line and diaphragm. More than 50 professional doctors including paediatricians, urologists and plastic surgeons planned for the operation.

Adriana and Abriana beat incredible odds to survive this rare procedure, which involved separation of the pericardium (heart lining), diaphragm and the connected livers.

Another important aspect of the surgery was the careful closure of the huge defect created by the separation, said the statement.

Dr KS Sivakumar, plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Apollo Children’s Hospital, said: ”After the separation, Adriana's heart had to be covered with bovine pericardium and carefully closed with skin and soft tissue. The liver, which was abnormally large, could not be fully reduced in both babies. It took almost four hours and two teams to provide cover for the heart, liver and intestine.”

“We were really thrilled and excited to take back our two separate babies, back home. The operation was very successful and affordable, and we are really thankful to the doctors who performed this operation and all the staff in the hospital who were very supportive to us,” Mtemi added. - TradeArabia News Service