30% surgery of conjoined twins completed; condition stable: AIIMS doctor

New Delhi: A team of doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) performing a complicated surgery to separate a pair of conjoined twins from Odisha has completed 30 per cent of the surgery and the condition of the twins who are joined at the head is stable.

"The first phases of the surgery was successful. It means 30 per cent of the surgery is completed. However, the second phase which is extremely important is yet to be performed. The team of doctors from the neurosurgery, anesthesia, and pediatrics met today (Tuesday) to discuss the matter," a doctor, part of the medical team treating the twins, told IANS. 

The surgery for separation of conjoined twins Jaga and Balia is being performed in two stages. The first stage began at 9 a.m on Monday and was scheduled to take seven hours. However, the procedure took nearly 20 hours due to medical complications.

The two-and-a-half year-old craniopagus twins, or fused at the cranium, were brought to AIIMS on July 14, from Milipada village in Kandhamal district of Odisha. 

According to doctors, the surgery is not going to be easy and the twins have undergone several tests before undergoing the surgery.

The medical team treating the twins comprises 40 members, including a top surgeon from Japan. 

While conjoined twins are known to occur in about every 2,00,000 births, craniopagus twins are rarer still, accounting for about only two per cent.

The Odisha government has already sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the surgery at AIIMS.

Earlier, the twins had undergone medical check up at at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.