TANZANIAN CONJOINED TWINS SUCCESSFULLY SEPARATED AT TAIL END OF THEIR SPINES APOLLO HOSPITAL CHENNAI IN INDIA

8/13/2019 TANZANIAN CONJOINED TWINS SUCCESSFULLY SEPARATED AT TAIL END OF THEIR SPINES APOLLO HOSPITAL CHENNAI IN INDIA

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TANZANIA CONJOINED TWINS [PYGOPAGUS TWINS BOYS] SUCCEFULL

Y SEPARATED AT TAIL END OF THEIR SPINES IN INDIA.

Ericana and Eluidis photo with their Mother Grace Mwakyusa before separation surgery

The conjoined Tanzanian twin boys, Ericana and Eluidi Mwakyusa, who were refer

red to Apollo Children Hospital in Chennai, India for surgery by Ministry of Health

and Social Welfare, Tanzania on June, 2013, now sleep in separate hospital beds i

n the Pediatric Critical Care Unit of Apollo Hospitals Vanagaram facility after succ

essful major separation surgery which was done on 16th

December, 2013.

They are able to do so after nine months, thanks to the efforts of 20 surgeons and

an equal number of hospital staffs of Apollo hospital Chennai who made this hap

pened.

These types of Conjoined twins, though rarely encountered, are seen in one in 20

0,000 deliveries. However, more than 60% of them are stillborn while 35% of the r

emaining die within a few days or months of birth due to various causes. Conjoine


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d twins can be joined at the chest, abdomen, back, buttock and head. Fusion at th

e buttocks (Pygopagus) is very rare and accounts for less than 17% of all conjoined

twins.

Live born Pygopagus twins are usually female in sex while male pygopagus twins a

re extremely rare. Till now in medical literature, only 30 sets of Pygopagus twins have been reported out of which 26 were female and only four were male.

The nine-month-old pygopagus twins boy (conjoined at the end of the spine), wer

e born at Kasumulu in Kyela, Mbeya Region. The twins spines were fused at the b

ase, and they shared a single anus and rectum.

The twins were referred to Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, which in

turn sought help from the Government through the Ministry of Health and SocialWelfare (MOHSW), which then the MOHSW, referred the twins to Apollo Childre

ns hospital in Chennai India for further evaluation and management.


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Reconstructed 3D images of the CT Scan

At the hospital, a team of doctors led by Consultant Urologist Venkat Sripathi, con

ducted investigations. The spinal structures of the babies were scanned to unders

tand the severity of the problem.

A series of procedures was then performed to place tissue expanders in the twins

back, buttocks and thighs. These tissues would later be used to cover large defect

s left after separation.

On Monday, around 7 a.m. the babies were wheeled into the operation theatre. I

n a series of surgeries that lasted 18 hours, the babies were separated.

Dr. Venkat Sripathi (pictured left)

The actual process of separating the twins took

13 hours. The next five hours were devoted to reconstructing the genital area for both babies.

Around midnight, the babies underwent anothe

r 90-minute procedure under the hands of plast

ic surgeons to create skin cover.

Presently, all the babies are stable. It is expecte


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d that they will take around five to seven days to be stable enough to be shifted t

o the ward. Once the babies feed well and void well and are active, they will be di

scharged from the hospital. They will be brought back to India six months later for

further surgery.

For the first time ever, Ericana & Eluidi see each other face to face.

Dr. Kheri Goloka, Medical Attache, Tanzania High Commission in India chatting with Eliudi at Ap


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ollo Chennai hospitals PICU.

The babies will undergo procedures to close the colostomies openings created

for passing urine and motion, the surgeon added. Once the babies have undergon

e these procedures, they can have normal sexual lives when they grow up. All me

dical expenses were covered by the Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Ms. Grace Mwakyusa, mother of twins, thanked t

he Government of Tanzania for such kind of huge help and she said her kids can li

ve normal and happily life like other Tanzanian kids. She also, thanks all doctors of

Apollo hospital Chennai for doing wonderfu job for saving her babies.

Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Group hospitals (left) received bouquet of flowers as t

hanks from twins mother, Ms. Grace Mwakyusa and to the right Dr. Kheri Goloka, Medical Atta

che of Tanzania High Commission, New Delhi.


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From left Dr. Kheri Goloka, Medical Attache Tanzania High Commission New Delhi discussing wi

th Dr. Edward G. Kiely FRCS [Senior Consultant Pediatric and Neonatal surgeon] of Great Ormon

d hospital, London who was a surgical proctor during the surgery.


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Dr. Kheri Goloka, Medical Attache of Tanzania High Commission New Delhi spoke during press

release soon after the surgery at Taj Hotel in Chennai.


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Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman of Appollo Group hospitals during press release soon after surge

ry at Taj Palace hotel in Chennai.


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Happy twins mother Grace with fellow Tanzanians during press release at Taj Palace hotel Chen

nai.


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Twins mother Ms. Grace posed with Dr. Kheri Goloka, Medical Attache of Tanzania High Comm

ission in India soon after the press release at Taj Palace, Chennai.

Documents

TANZANIAN CONJOINED TWINS SUCCESSFULLY SEPARATED AT TAIL END OF THEIR SPINES APOLLO HOSPITAL CHENNAI IN INDIA