Wonderful: Indian Doctors Separate Conjoined Twins from Nigeria (PHOTO)

The doctors of a Hospital in New Delhi, India, declared on September 4, 2013, Wednesday that a pair of formerly conjoined twins, born in Nigeria, were healthy and happy after they were successfully separated in a marathon "nerve-wracking" operation in India by a team of 40 specialists. The one-year-old girls, sporting matching bright pink dresses, sat patiently on their parents' laps as doctors explained "They were fused at their back when they came to us which is very rare," paediatric surgeon Prashant Jain said.
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"Usually the twins are joined in the head or the upper body. It posed a huge challenge to our team of doctors," children's' surgeon added. The separation took place last month and lasted for 18-hours. In the picture, Badaru Mannir (L) holds his daughter Hassana Badaru (2L) while Hussaina Badaru (R) is held by her mother. The girls, Hussaina and Hassana sat happily, grabbing at a mobile phone, clutching a rattle and trying to pull off their mother's earrings. The mother of the twins, Mrs. Malama Badariyya Badaru, said she was incredibly happy at finally being able to hold the girls in her arms "individually".

"It was all nerve-wracking work. But it feels great to see them happy, healthy and independent," Jain said. The single surgery was carried out in three stages, preparation, separation and then reconstruction of their shared organs which include the lower spine, lower intestinal and urinary tracts as well as genitals. "We carried out rehearsals using dummies. All tubes, wires, injections and drugs were colour-coded in pink or blue (for each girl) to avoid any mistake," he said. Jain said only 15 percent of all conjoined twins are born with this type of condition, known medically as pygopagus.

Medical literature lists just 32 such cases, he said. It would be recalled that Kano-based Badaru family were seeking N600,000 for separation surgery. It is truly fantastic that they found the money, and the operation went well. The family can head home to Nigeria after a series of month-long check ups, the surgeon said.