This is one separation that has not ended on a bitter note or left broken hearts. Rather, it has brought smiles all around.
Over six-month-old conjoined twins — Shaili and Shilpa — were successfully separated after a marathon eight-hour surgery by a team of 30 doctors and nurses at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) this May. They are doing well and are ready to be discharged soon.
Announcing this successful medical intervention at a press conference, organised by the institute here on Tuesday, AIIMS paediatric surgeon M. Bajpai, who also headed the medical team in-charge of the children, said: “The babies were born on November 19, 2012, in Aber village of Madhya Pradesh and were brought to our casualty on December 12. They were connected at the lower chest and the whole of their upper abdomen. Their liver, the largest solid organ of the human body, was fused in the middle. They underwent surgery on May 23 in the Department of Paediatric Surgery and are now doing well.”
“The procedure to separate the twins lasted eight hours, which included anaesthetic preparations, surgery and recovery in the operation theatre. The team comprised about 30 members, including surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses. The girls have been given equal share of the liver and we expect them to go home with their parents soon. They will need to come back for follow-up programmes and we are hopeful that they will lead successful and healthy lives,” Dr. Bajpai added.
The children were initially brought to Delhi with help from the Lok Sabha MP from the area, Ganesh Singh, who was also present at the conference.
Speaking about the operation, the father of the twins, Lal Bhai, a daily wager, said: “We are grateful to everyone who has worked towards giving our daughters a chance to lead a normal life. We hope they grow up to be responsible citizens.”
