Surgical team separates conjoined twins in Tikrit

SALAH AL-DIN / IraqiNews.com: A team of surgeons at the Tikrit Teaching Hospital on Saturday separated conjoined twins fused at the thorax, diaphragm, heart and liver in a landmark operation considered the first ever in Iraq, a medic said. “The team, led by Dr. Hamed Hindi al-Juburi, separated the thoracopagus twins, one of them died during birth. The case required a quick surgery to save the second baby’s life,” Dr. Oqba Mahmoud of the Tikrit Teaching Hospital told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The child’s health condition is now stable after a three-hour critical surgery,” he added. Thoracopagus twins are conjoined twins united at the thorax, facing each other, often with partly fused or compromised hearts. Tikrit, the capital city of Salah al-Din province, lies 175 km north of Baghdad. AmR (P)/SR 1