The procedure was carried out in 10 stages and involved 35 consultants.
Dubai: A Saudi medical and surgical team has successfully separated Tanzanian conjoined twins in a complex 16-and-a-half-hour operation at a specialist hospital in Riyadh, marking another milestone for the Kingdom’s long-running conjoined twins programme.
The procedure to separate the twins, Nancy and Nice, was carried out at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital at King Abdulaziz Medical City under the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs.
Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, said the procedure was carried out in 10 stages with the participation of 35 consultants, specialists, nurses, and technical staff from various disciplines.
The surgical team included specialists in anaesthesia, paediatric surgery, plastic surgery, paediatric urology, and paediatric orthopaedics, along with other supporting disciplines, to ensure maximum precision and safety throughout the operation.
Al Rabeeah explained that the twins were conjoined at the lower chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Each child had one lower limb, while sharing a third deformed limb. They also shared parts of the liver, large intestine, anus, urinary system, and reproductive system, in addition to abnormalities in the shared external genital structures.
He said the operation marks the third successful separation of conjoined twins from Tanzania and the 71st procedure carried out under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme.
According to Al Rabeeah, the programme has been running for more than 35 years, covering 28 countries and reviewing 157 cases worldwide, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s role in specialised medical and humanitarian care.
He attributed the programme’s continued success to the support of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Mohammed bin Salman, which has helped establish the Kingdom as a global leader in this field.
The twins’ family also expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership and medical team for the care provided and the efforts that ensured the success of the surgery.
