Bay Area Surgeons Will Try To Separate Conjoined Twins

Palo Alto, Calif. Sep. 20, 2007 (KGO) -- Separating conjoined twins is not new, but it's still a risky operation. Doctors at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford will try to separate twins from Costa Rica who share a liver.

Yurelia and Fiorella are joined at the chest and abdomen. If all goes well with their operation, they'll be looking at other things around them instead of each other.

"For planned separation, the survival is around 50 to 60 percent overall," said lead surgeon Dr. Gary Hartman.

The 2 year-old twins who arrived from Costa Rica in late July, and since then doctors at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have discussed what it will take to separate them, including stretching the girls' skin.

"What they are going to have is a hole in the middle of their chest and abdomen. We have to generate enough new skin so we can cover that up once they are separated," said surgeon Dr. Peter Lorenz.

The operation is scheduled for late November. This is the fifth time Dr. Gary Hartman separates conjoined twins.

"So there will be 22-23 people actively involved in the operation. We expect it will take 12 hours probably as a minimum," said Dr. Hartman.

"It is my dream to see them separated walking next to each other," said the twin's mother Maria Elizabeth Arias.

The twins' mom says she's always dreamed of seeing them each walking by themselves.

Even if the operation is successful, there are other medical issues to deal with. One of the twins have a serious congenital heart defect.

"That child will need an open heart operation probably within three-to-five days after the operation," said cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Frank Hanley.

They also share one liver which doctors will cut in half. The cost ranges from $1 to $2 million dollars, but the hospital is picking up the bill and doctors are donating their time.

Mending Kids International is a non-profit helping take care of the family.

"It's a miracle that two little girls who had no hope of ever being separated this miracle came their way and they get their chance of having a normal life," said Cris Embleton from Mending Kids International.

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