Conjoined Pakistani twins separated after 50 hours of surgery in London

LONDON: Conjoined Pakistani twins Safa and Marwa have been separated in a rare surgery in London, doctors have announced.

The sisters from Pakistan’s Charsadda were separated after 50 hours of surgery. The girls underwent three major operations to separate their heads.

All the three surgeries took place in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The first operation took place in October 2018, and the last operation, during which they were separated, was carried out in February 2019.

Safa and Marwa, born on January 7, 2017, were the Craniopagus twins, which mean they were joined at the head. It is the rarest form of what is already a rare condition.

During the surgery, doctors first worked to separate the girls’ blood vessels and then inserted a piece of plastic into their heads to keep the brains and blood vessels apart.

Over 100 members of the staff were involved in the surgery. The operations added up to more than 50 hours of surgery time.

The twins are undergoing daily physiotherapy as part of their ongoing rehabilitation.