Successful Emergency Separation of Saudi Conjoined Twins after Precise 6.5-Hour Surgery

The medical and surgical team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme successfully performed an emergency surgery today to separate Saudi female conjoined twins at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital at King Abdulaziz Medical City, affiliated with the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. The operation was conducted in six stages, lasted six and a half hours, and involved 23 consultants, specialists, and technical and nursing staff.

 Advisor at the Royal Court, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, and Head of the Medical and Surgical Team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah noted that the twins are approximately 20 days old and were born conjoined in the lower chest and abdominal area, with each having fully formed upper and lower limbs.

 He added that after a meeting of the medical and surgical team, multiple medical examinations showed that the twins together weigh approximately five kilograms and share the liver, stomach, and intestines, in addition to the presence of an external sac in the abdominal wall due to a congenital defect, which exerts significant pressure on the stomach, making feeding difficult. He noted that the risk rate of the operation to the twins’ lives was about 40%.

 Al Rabeeah said this operation is number 69 within the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, which, since 1990, has cared for 157 twins from 28 countries across five continents, highlighting the Kingdom’s leading role in humanitarian work in general and in the medical field in particular.

 He expressed, on his behalf and on behalf of all members of the medical and surgical team, his highest gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the generous support provided to the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, which has made the Kingdom a distinguished global center in this field. He also extended thanks to the medical and surgical team members for their efforts, which led to this new medical achievement recorded for the Kingdom.

 For their part, the family of the Saudi conjoined twins expressed their deep gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince for the high-level medical care provided to the twins, praising the great efforts made by the medical team to ensure the operation's success and the safety of the two girls.