Riyadh: Surgeons at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital (KASCH) in Saudi Arabia commenced a 7.5-hour operation on Thursday, June 6, to separate Filipino conjoined twins, 17-month-old Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph. The twins are joined at the lower chest and abdomen, sharing a liver, and each weighs 18 kilograms with complete sets of upper and lower limbs.
Arriving on May 5 via a Saudi Ministry of Defense medical evacuation aircraft with their mother and grandmother, the twins’ case was reviewed by a medical team led by Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, under the directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who determined that successful separation is feasible.
The complex surgery will unfold in five phases, involving over 20 doctors, specialists, and technical and nursing staff. The Saudi government will cover all expenses related to the twins’ surgery and recovery. This marks the 61st case under Saudi Arabia’s initiative to separate conjoined twins since 1990, having evaluated 136 cases from 26 countries.
