Odisha conjoined twins undergo first phase of surgery at AIIMS, condition stable

A team of 40 doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi successfuly performed the first phase to seperate conjoined twins Jaga-Balia of Odisha's Kandhamal district. The surgery, which started around 9 am, went on till 6:30 am on Tuesday.

Jagannath and Balram from Kandhamal in Odisha are twins who were born fused at their heads and shared crucial veins which carry blood from the heart to the brain. Although it was a tricky situation for the children, the two were eventually separated by a surgery lasting 20 hours.

The twins are born with a condition seen once in 2.5 million births and while 40 percent are stillborn, a third of those who survive die within 24 hours.

The surgery will span over a period of 50 hours. It will be conducted in two phases. Dr K. Taki Jawa, a Japanese physician, is leading the team of doctors to separate the conjoined twins.

Since 1952, only about 50 attempts have been made to separate such twins across the world, with the success rate below 25%.

OneIndia News