Conjoined Twins Separated After Lengthy Surgery
Conjoined twins Angelica and Angelina Sabuco were separated in a nine-hour sugery at Stanford University's hospital on Tuesday.
“I thank God for everything. This is a dream come true,” gushed the tearful mother of the twins, Ginady Sabuco.
Dr. Gary Hartman, lead surgeon in the operation, stood with the twins' joyous mother in front of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., to announce the surgery’s success.
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Hartman successfully performed five previous separation surgeries.
The renowned pediatrics surgeon told reporters that the surgery produced “no significant surprises.”
The surgical procedure proved complex with several different phases and a team of 20 medical personnel aiding Hartman.
Preparations began in July, when the two children, who were connected at the abdomen and chest, received injections of saltwater solution that expanded plastic balloons placed under their skin, thus stretching their skin for surgery.
As Dr. Peter Lorenz told the Associated Press, the twins were left with a “window” in their chests after being separated. Their extra skin effectively covered the gap left after surgery.
The next phase of the surgery included separating breastbones, diaphragms, livers, and chest and abdominal wall muscles. After successfully disconnecting their body parts, the girls were moved to separate operation rooms for reconstruction.
Sabuco and her 2-year-old twin daughters immigrated to Palo Alto from the Philippines last year to join the daughters’ father and 10-month old brother.
The girls currently remain sedated at the Stanford University hospital. They are expected to wake as early as Wednesday.
“The long term prognosis is that we should have a happy, healthy set of girls. We don't see any barrier to a full recovery," Hartman told reporters.
