A team of 60 medical professionals in the Turkish capital Ankara successfully separated 11-month-old conjoined twins from Pakistan after complex, two-stage operations lasting some 14 hours.
The twin girls, Mirha and Minal, were born in Pakistan with their heads fused. Unable to find suitable treatment, the family’s plea for help caught the attention of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
After being contacted by renowned London-based pediatric neurosurgeon Owase Jeelani, Erdogan assured Jeelani that the babies’ treatment would be carried out in Turkiye. The twins arrived in Ankara this May and were placed under close medical supervision at Bilkent City Hospital. The separation was done in two stages. The surgical team was led by Dr Jeelani, along with Turkish physicians Dr Harun Demirci and Dr Hasan Murat Ergani.
The final 14-hour operation took place on July 19, successfully separating the twins, who were conjoined at the skull. Dr Aziz Ahmet Surel, the hospital’s coordinating chief physician, highlighted the significance of the operation, noting the successful transfer of knowledge and expertise between Turkish and British medical teams.
“Seeing the healthy, smiling faces of the babies now, compared to their conjoined state when they first arrived, is an indescribable joy,” Surel told Anadolu. Namik Yasar Ozbek, head of the Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Bilkent City Hospital, emphasised the extensive teamwork involved in the operation. “The babies had some issues with sitting and hand movements due to their conjoined state. Post-surgery, our neurologists, physical therapists, and neurodevelopmental specialists resolved these issues,” he said. “The babies are now doing very well, starting to use their hands and arms, and gaining head control. In 10 days, they will celebrate their first birthdays separately,” Ozbek said.
Detailing the process, reconstructive physician Ergani said: “To prevent tissue deficiency after the separation, we first performed balloon tissue expansion surgery. We placed a material in their heads that gradually expanded, increasing the tissue over about two months.” Ergani also described the meticulous planning for the second surgery to separate the twins. “When we separated the babies, the tissue to cover the brain was crucial because their brains would be exposed. Any complication could harm the children, so we planned very carefully. On July 19, we successfully separated the twins, sharing the tissue,” he said.