Conjoined twins have been separated at a children’s hospital in London, reports the BBC.
The two-year-old sisters from Pakistan, underwent three major operations to separate their heads at Great Ormond Street hospital.
Ahead of the surgery, experts used virtual reality to create an exact replica of the girls’ anatomy and printed out 3D plastic models that could be used to practise upon.
During the operations proper, surgeons worked to separate the girls’ blood vessels and then inserted plastic into their heads to keep the brains and blood vessels apart. Then they built new skulls using the girls’ own bone.
The first operation took place in October 2018, when the girls, Safa and Marwa Ullah, were 19-months old. The final operation, during which they were separated, was carried out on 11 February.
The procedures added up to more than 50 hours of surgery time and involved 100 members of staff from Great Ormond Street. They were funded by a private donor.
The girls’ mother, Zainab Bibi, 34, said: “We are indebted to the hospital and to the staff and we would like to thank them for everything they have done. We are extremely excited about the future.”
Neurosurgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani said: “We are delighted we have been able to help Safa and Marwa and their family. It has been a long and complex journey for them, and for the clinical team looking after them.”
The twins, whose father has passed away, were discharged on 1 July and moved to a London address with their mother, grandfather Mohammad Sadat, 57, and an uncle.
Conjoined twins are extremely rare – affecting only about one in every 2.5 million births.