Menu
08/07/2003
Conjoined twins die following separation attempt
Conjoined Iranian twins who underwent high-risk surgery - and the chance of leading separate lives - have both died after a team of surgeons were unable to save them during a two-day surgical marathon.
A team of 28 specialists and 100 support staff were involved in the radical 50-hour surgical procedure, undertaken in Singapore, on 29-year-old twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani who were joined at the head and shared a common skull cavity.
Although initial signs were hopeful, the procedure’s complexity increased enormously when it was unexpectedly discovered that parts of the brains were more substantially fused than was first thought.
Dr Loo Choon Yong, the chair of Raffles Hospital, said that the first twin to die was Ladan, who succumbed to blood loss as the surgery entered a critical phase after separation was completed at around 13.30 pm on Tuesday. Her twin Laleh died an hour-and-a-half later.
He said that on Monday evening complications set in when an arterial bypass became blocked. Doctors gave the next of kin two options: either to stop surgery and attempt to stabilise the twin’s condition in intensive care with the risk of infection; or to continue with what had become a very much higher risk procedure and attempt to separate the brain tissue.
Dr Loo said the surgical team were informed that Laden and Laleh’s wishes were that they were to be separated.
Surgery on the twins continued following the creation of an additional arterial shunt. Although they were eventually separated, both later succumbed to circulatory failure despite massive blood transfusions as surgeons struggled to save their lives.
Dr Loo said that he wished for better news, but that there was only so much that could be humanly done. He expressed his sympathies to the Bijani family circle.
(SP)
A team of 28 specialists and 100 support staff were involved in the radical 50-hour surgical procedure, undertaken in Singapore, on 29-year-old twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani who were joined at the head and shared a common skull cavity.
Although initial signs were hopeful, the procedure’s complexity increased enormously when it was unexpectedly discovered that parts of the brains were more substantially fused than was first thought.
Dr Loo Choon Yong, the chair of Raffles Hospital, said that the first twin to die was Ladan, who succumbed to blood loss as the surgery entered a critical phase after separation was completed at around 13.30 pm on Tuesday. Her twin Laleh died an hour-and-a-half later.
He said that on Monday evening complications set in when an arterial bypass became blocked. Doctors gave the next of kin two options: either to stop surgery and attempt to stabilise the twin’s condition in intensive care with the risk of infection; or to continue with what had become a very much higher risk procedure and attempt to separate the brain tissue.
Dr Loo said the surgical team were informed that Laden and Laleh’s wishes were that they were to be separated.
Surgery on the twins continued following the creation of an additional arterial shunt. Although they were eventually separated, both later succumbed to circulatory failure despite massive blood transfusions as surgeons struggled to save their lives.
Dr Loo said that he wished for better news, but that there was only so much that could be humanly done. He expressed his sympathies to the Bijani family circle.
(SP)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
02 December 2008
Operation To Separate Conjoined Twins Begins
Surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital are attempting to separate conjoined twins who were born last week. The twin girls - Faith and Hope - were born last Wednesday, 26 November, and are joined from their breastbone to their naval, sharing a liver, but having separate hearts.
Operation To Separate Conjoined Twins Begins
Surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital are attempting to separate conjoined twins who were born last week. The twin girls - Faith and Hope - were born last Wednesday, 26 November, and are joined from their breastbone to their naval, sharing a liver, but having separate hearts.
14 October 2014
Children's Heart Surgery No Longer Available In Northern Ireland
Children's paediatric heart surgery is to end in Northern Ireland, moving to a single all-Ireland surgical unit in Dublin.
Children's Heart Surgery No Longer Available In Northern Ireland
Children's paediatric heart surgery is to end in Northern Ireland, moving to a single all-Ireland surgical unit in Dublin.
04 October 2013
Footballer Jailed For Two Separate Attacks
A footballer for Sheffield Wednesday has been jailed for 18 months after he was found guilty of two separate attacks. Footballer Gary Madine, 23, punched Daniel Beresford in the Paris Bar in Sheffield in February 2012, breaking his nose. In another attack he punched Reece Hall and shattered his cheekbone.
Footballer Jailed For Two Separate Attacks
A footballer for Sheffield Wednesday has been jailed for 18 months after he was found guilty of two separate attacks. Footballer Gary Madine, 23, punched Daniel Beresford in the Paris Bar in Sheffield in February 2012, breaking his nose. In another attack he punched Reece Hall and shattered his cheekbone.
10 November 2010
Criminal Trial For Ex-MPs Over Expenses
Three former Labour MPs will face criminal trials having lost their appeals over fiddling their expenses. The Supreme Court heard David Chaytor, 61, Elliot Morley, 58, and Jim Devine, 57, deny theft by false accounting.
Criminal Trial For Ex-MPs Over Expenses
Three former Labour MPs will face criminal trials having lost their appeals over fiddling their expenses. The Supreme Court heard David Chaytor, 61, Elliot Morley, 58, and Jim Devine, 57, deny theft by false accounting.
13 March 2008
Final Harry Potter Movie 'Split In Two'
The final Harry Potter novel is to be made into two separate films, according to reports. A report in the 'Los Angeles Times' said that 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' - the seventh and final book in author J.K.
Final Harry Potter Movie 'Split In Two'
The final Harry Potter novel is to be made into two separate films, according to reports. A report in the 'Los Angeles Times' said that 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' - the seventh and final book in author J.K.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
