Title: Successful surgery: Conjoined twins successfully separated in Senegal
Introduction :
In a rare and remarkable surgery, medical teams at the Albert Royer National Children’s Hospital in Senegal have managed to separate two conjoined twin sisters. This operation, which took place on August 9, is a real medical feat. This is the third time, after successful cases in 2003 and 2018, that such an intervention has taken place in Dakar. In this article, we return to this touching and remarkable story.
The beginning of a difficult life:
When the mother of the twins learns, at four months of pregnancy, that her daughters are Siamese and that they are united by the liver and the sternum, she knows that life will not be easy for them. Despite this, the family is preparing to welcome the babies and a caesarean section is scheduled for September 4, 2022. The twins are then kept under medical supervision, waiting for the right moment to perform the separation operation.
A delicate and successful operation:
The surgery was performed by a team of experts from the Albert Royer National Children’s Hospital. The head of pediatric surgery, Gabriel Ngom, explains that the liver was the common organ of the two twins and that its separation required great precision given its importance in the functioning of the human body. The goal was to give each sister a normal, functioning liver. The operation, which lasted an hour and a half, was successful.
A promising recovery:
After the operation, the twins were placed in intensive care for two days, then they were closely monitored. According to Ndeye Aby Ndoye, a member of the medical team, the twins are doing well and are gradually adjusting to their new life after the separation. They each play on their own, eat normally and do not present any serious surgical complications. This is excellent news for their family and for the entire medical team who took care of them.
A cost borne by the State:
This complex surgery was not without financial cost. Indeed, it required more than 1.3 million CFA francs, a sum entirely paid for by the State. It is important to emphasize that the success of this operation is the fruit of the hard work of the specialized medical teams, but also of the financial investment of the Senegalese State in the health sector.
Conclusion :
The successful separation of the Siamese twin sisters in Senegal is a real medical feat that gives hope and shows the advances in medicine in this field. This delicate operation, successfully carried out by the teams of the Albert Royer national children’s hospital, will allow the twins to lead an independent and promising life.. It is also an opportunity to salute the financial support of the Senegalese State in the realization of such interventions