Sep 29, 2010
Siamese twin girls separated
PANAMA CITY – YEAR-OLD Siamese twin girls connected at the abdomen were surgically separated on Tuesday by a team of 50 doctors from Panama and Argentina, in Panama’s first medical operation of this kind.
‘We’re very happy because the surgery was very difficult and complex. It took many months of preparation, but it’s yielded results,’ Caja del Seguro Social Hospital paediatrics chief Iliana Ceballos told Telemetro Reporta, a television news programme.
She said the operation, postponed from August because the girls had the flu, took less time than expected.
‘There was no bleeding,’ Dr Ceballos said, adding that all that was left to do was to ‘close the skin’ over both girls’ wounds.
‘I’m very pleased and very happy,’ said the twins’ mother, Sarita Gil.
Dr Ceballos said the next 24-48 hours were crucial in the girls’ recovery. — AFP