Conjoined twins Riddhi and Siddhi, who were born last year and were joined from the chest and stomach, experienced a medical milestone as they were successfully separated in a surgery that lasted over 12 hours at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. This extraordinary achievement was carried out by a team of skilled doctors, led by Dr. Minu Bajpai, head of the department of pediatric surgery at AIIMS.

The twins, diagnosed as 'thoracic-omphalopagus conjoined twins' during the fourth month of pregnancy, underwent the intricate procedure when they were just 11 months old, and their resilience and the expertise of the medical team ensured a successful outcome.

The family, from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, was referred to AIIMS to ensure the best possible treatment plan for the girls' birth and eventual separation. The twins spent their initial five months in the intensive care unit (ICU), where dedicated medical professionals closely monitored their health.

On June 8, when Riddhi and Siddhi were just 11 months old, a 12.5-hour-long surgery commenced to separate them. Thanks to the young age of the twins, they could better tolerate the procedure, as explained by Dr Prabudh Goel, an additional professor in the department of pediatric surgery.

The surgery presented a unique challenge for the medical team. The twins had fused rib cages, livers, partially common diaphragms, and a fused pericardium. Remarkably, their hearts were beating in close proximity, almost touching. Dr Goel highlighted that the pericardium was partially fused as well. The intricate surgery spanned nearly nine hours, with an additional 3.5 hours allocated for pre- and post-surgery anaesthesia.

The step-by-step process involved carefully separating the common abdominal and chest walls, dividing the liver tissue so that each baby had sufficient tissue, and separating the fused rib cage.

The surgery was a success, and Riddhi and Siddhi celebrated their first birthday at the hospital, marking a significant milestone in their journey to a healthier and independent life. This remarkable feat is not the first of its kind at AIIMS. Back in 2017, doctors at the institute successfully separated craniopagus twins Jagannath and Balaram from Odisha, who were fused at the cranium.