The doctors at BJ Wadia Hospital on Tuesday said that the operation for separation of the conjoined twins admitted in the hospital involves a lot of risk to their lives and it cannot be any time soon. Upon learning this, the parents insisted on taking the babies home. However, the doctors had to convince them to stay on in the hospital because they may not survive for long at home due to the lack of medical attention they require.
After a month of being in the hospital, the conjoined twins have gained weight, but the doctors are uncertain about a date by when they can be operated upon for separation, which also ironically is essential for their survival. The conjoined twins are joined at the abdomen in a way that their torsos and limbs make a plus sign.
Dr Y.K. Ambdekar, medical director of the hospital said, “The girls have gained weight, but they are not yet fit for surgery. They share all the organs below pelvis region and we have to reconstruct them.”
A team of doctors had only done colostomy— a procedure to relieve bowel obstruction by creating a hole in the abdomen and bringing out a part of the large intestine from the abdomen wall. “They are passing stool separately, but still share the common outlet for passing urine,” said Dr Ambdekar.
While the doctors are yet to decide on surgery, the parents of the twins have been informed about the risk involved in the operation. “They were ready to take home the kids after we told them about the condition, but we managed to convince them to stay on. The children can’t grow normally in this condition and need special medical care, so the parents agreed to take the risk of the surgery,” he said.