Two parents are celebrating after a Malaysian hospital successfully completed its trickiest operation of conjoined twins to date: separating two boys who shared the same bladder and genitals.
“I feel so relieved. I could not sleep well before the surgery as I was so worried,” overjoyed dad Azli Sabran, 40, told Malaysia’s The Star newspaper Saturday. “For now, I’m just glad that they are safe,” he added.
His twins — Muaiman and Muaimin — were born April 14, 2011, and shared the same pelvis and a leg. They were also born without an anal opening, The Star reported.
It took a medical team of 60 — including 19 surgeons and anesthesiologists — at Hospital Kuala Lumpur to conduct the 24-hour surgery on July 14. Their shared penis was reconstructed during surgery to fit each child, the New Straits Times reported.
“With proper rehabilitation, both boys can lead a fairly normal and independent life,” Dr. Zakaria Zahari, head of the pediatric surgery department, told reporters. “The sexual and reproductive functions of both twins will be assessed further as they grow,” he added.
The 15-month-old twins are not in the clear yet, and underwent skin graft surgeries over the weekend as they continue to heal in the hospital, according to Agence France-Presse.
Zahari said the babies also require reconstruction of their bladders and large intestines.
Since the twins shared a leg, Muaiman, who was left with only one after surgery, will require a prosthesis when he’s older, Zahari said.
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TXT 24
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