Conjoined twins sharing brains fused successfully in Brazil | World News
Conjoined twins sharing the same fused brain were successfully separated 33 hours after surgery.
Bernardo and Arthur Lima underwent several surgeries in Rio de Janeiro, under the direction of pediatric surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
The three-year-old boys underwent a total of seven surgeries, of which the last two alone took more than 33 hours and 100 medical staff were involved.
Surgeons have spent months experimenting with techniques using virtual reality before starting the actual procedures.
Their surgery was led by Mr Jeelani, along with Dr. Gabriel Mufarrej, chief of pediatric surgery at the Instituto Estadual led by Cerebro Paulo Niemeyer.
Mr Jeelani described the operation as a “remarkable achievement” for the doctors, but added the charity, Gemini Untwined, relies on donations from the public to keep its work going.
“The successful separation of Bernardo and Arthur is a significant achievement for the team in Rio and a great example of why the work of Gemini Untwined is so valuable,” he said.
“Not only have we provided a new future for the boys and their families, we have equipped the local team with the ability and confidence to successfully undertake such complex work once and for all. more in the future.
“Through this global process of teamwork and knowledge sharing, we can hope to improve outcomes for all children and families in this predicament.
“This is only possible through generous donations from members of the public.”
Change life
Gabriel Mufarrej said the hospital where he worked had cared for the boys for two and a half years, and their surgery would be “life changing”.
“Since the boys’ parents came from their home in the Roraima region to Rio to seek our help two and a half years ago, they have become part of our family here,” he said. in the hospital.
“We are delighted that the surgery went so well and that the boys and their families had such a life-changing outcome.”
Their work is supported by Gemini Untwined, a charity founded by Mr Jaleeni to raise funds for siblings born from scratch – known as craniopagus twins.
Freeing Bernardo and Arthur from each other was one of the most complicated separation processes ever completed, and many surgeons didn’t think it was possible, according to the charity.
Since the twins are almost 4 years old, they are also the oldest craniopagus twins with fused brains that have been separated.
Both twins are recovering well in hospital and will receive six months of support for rehabilitation, the charity said.
According to Gemini data, one out of every 60,000 births is conjoined twins, and only 5% of these are craniopagus babies.