Twins born joined at skull to be separated in a dangerous operation

Bangladeshi twins born conjoined at the skull will undergo a difficult and potentially dangerous operation to separate them, surgeons said today as they appealed for help from global medical experts

The conjoined twins, baby girls Rabia and Rukia. Pic/AFP

Bangladeshi twins born conjoined at the skull will undergo a difficult and potentially dangerous operation to separate them, surgeons said today as they appealed for help from global medical experts.

Doctors are trying to establish whether the one-year-old girls, born otherwise healthy in northwest Bangladesh, share the same brain, something that would vastly complicate the surgery.

"It would be a very delicate and sensitive surgery," said Ruhul Amin, chief paediatric surgeon at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in the capital Dhaka. "We’re evaluating their condition and trying to contact experts across the world for opinions and help."

Their parents, both schoolteachers, came to Dhaka shortly after Rabia and Rukia were born, to seek medical help.

The parents wanted to ensure "a better life" for their daughters -- despite the potentially fatal ramifications of the surgery.

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