Malaysian doctors separate conjoined twins for second time in three months

Doctors at Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital in Malaysia separated a pair of conjoined twin boys who were joined at the lower back.

The medical team performed the complex surgery on September 17 when the infants were 40 days old. This successful procedure marks the second time the hospital has performed such a separation in less than three months. The babies were born prematurely at 32 weeks via an emergency Caesarean section.

They were born with pygopagus, a rare condition where the twins share the lower spine, sacrum, and pelvis. While the medical team originally planned to wait until the infants were four to six months old to stabilize their health, they moved the surgery forward because one twin developed worsening breathing difficulties. Specialists from Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital, Hospital Tunku Azizah in Kuala Lumpur, and Sarawak General Hospital collaborated on the operation.

The team separated the shared intestinal and urinary systems and reconstructed the pelvic floor to create new anal openings and urinary passages. Neurosurgeons also performed nerve mapping to protect the spinal cord function and leg movement of both infants. Performing the surgery in Sabah allowed the medical team to avoid the risks of transporting premature babies by air to the Malaysian peninsula.

The hospital stated that local expertise enabled immediate intervention for acute complications while allowing families to stay with the infants during their recovery. Both babies remain under close observation in the neonatal intensive care unit.