Our treatment goal is to give both children the best chance for a good quality of life. Sometimes surgery to separate the twins is the best option. The success of the separation surgery depends on many factors, mainly where the twins are connected and which structures they share. Often, both twins survive.
But sometimes 1 or both die, usually because of a serious birth defect. Sometimes separation surgery is not possible. Some conjoined twins have happy, healthy, full lives by staying connected.
We help you understand all your options so you can make the choices that are best for your family. Our team has the knowledge, experience and facilities to:. If you would like an appointment, talk with your pregnancy care provider for a referral to our Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment Program.
If you would like more information or have a referral, call to schedule an appointment. Read about Kevin Mick, who was born a conjoined twin in , and is now living a healthy, active life. Conjoined twins may be connected to each other in many different ways. Their health and any symptoms depend on:. The twins are face to face.
This type is called thoracopagus pronounced thor-uh-KOP-uh-gus. Twins joined at the chest may also share a liver, biliary tract which carries bile and upper digestive tract esophagus , stomach and small intestine. These twins are also face to face. The twins may share a liver, biliary tract and upper digestive tract. These twins are back to back. This type is called pygopagus pronounced pie-GOP-uh-gus. The twins may share part of the lower digestive tract large intestine , rectum and anus and part of the skeleton, nervous system and genitals.
Usually, these twins partly face each other. But they may be oriented to each other in different ways. They may share a liver and biliary tract, part of the upper and all of the lower digestive tract, the genital and urinary systems and part of the skeleton.
This type includes ischiopagus pronounced is-kee-OP-uh-gus and pygopagus twins. These conjoined twins may share a skull, brain and other parts of the nervous system. This type is called craniopagus pronounced kray-nee-OP-uh-gus. In most cases, doctors see that twins are conjoined during a routine ultrasound late in the first trimester of pregnancy or in the second trimester.
We explain what the images show and which structures your twins may share. Some parents continue their pregnancy. Others decide to end their pregnancy. This helps you and your healthcare team prepare for the diagnostic tests and treatments the twins will need once they are born.
This is because a vaginal birth is too hard for the mother and babies. We recommend delivery of your baby at the University of Washington by obstetricians who are experienced with high-risk pregnancies. This will help you and the healthcare team decide how to care for the twins. Our NICU provides the highest level of care, including state-of-the-art support for breathing.
Treatment for each set of twins is unique. The team uses this information to create a detailed treatment plan. Our goal is to give both children the best chance for a good quality of life, whenever possible.
Whether to do surgery to separate your twins depends on their chance of survival and quality of life for each baby. Two operations took place in May, one in July and the final operation in August. They are attached at the lower chest and abdomen and share their chest wall, diaphragm, pericardium and liver. November 7, - Are successfully separated after a seven-hour surgery at Children's Hospital Philadelphia. They are joined from the chest to the abdomen and have a conjoined liver.
October 25, - An emergency surgery is performed to separate their liver. April 22, - Are successfully separated following 14 hours of surgery.
October 14, - A'zhari passes away. They are joined at the liver and the intestine. August 24, - Are successfully separated. They are joined at the chest, sharing a liver, heart lining, diaphragm, intestines and colon.
February 17, - A team of 12 surgeons separate the sisters during a hour procedure. They are joined at the lower chest and upper abdomen and share a liver, bladder, two kidneys and three legs.
December , - Are successfully separated after 17 hours of surgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in California.
They are joined at the hip and pelvis. September 3, - More than 30 medical specialists help separate the girls' spinal cord during a hour surgery at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio. To prepare for the surgery, medical specialists used 3-D printing to create anatomies similar to the girls. They are joined at the sternum and abdomen and share a liver and part of their small intestines.
May 7, - Are successfully separated after 12 hours of surgery at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Florida. Scarlett and Ximena are connected below the waist, sharing a colon and a bladder. April 12, - Scarlett and Ximena are separated during a hour procedure at the Driscoll Children's Hospital in Texas.
They are joined at the abdomen. November 9, - Dawa and Nima are successfully separated after a six-hour surgery at Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital in Australia. February 11, - Safa and Marwa are successfully separated after 50 hours of surgery, that took place over a four month period, at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. Female siblings tend to have a better survival rate than male siblings. Any operation to separate conjoined twins is a highly complex and dangerous process.
It was a risk that Abby and Brittany's parents did not want to take for fear that one of the twins might not have survived the surgery or have the same quality of life they do now.
With possibly fewer than 12 adult pairs of conjoined twins across the world today, Abby and Brittany Hensel are defying the odds. Their mother, Patty Hensel, says her hopes and aspirations for her daughters' future are just the same as anyone else's.
As they embark on their working life together, the twins aim to take things day by day and do not tend to look forward to where they will be or what they will be doing in 10 years' time. With their position as teachers they have become role models for children academically, but also in their attitude to life, overcoming any challenges. India conjoined twins face uncertainty. Twins have two heads, one heart. Conjoined twins separated in Chile.
Conjoined twins: the journey. BBC Horizon: Conjoined twins. Abby l and Brittany r Hensel and friends. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Taking a road trip with conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel. What is clothes shopping like for conjoined twins?
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