LONDON - Surgeons yesterday successfully separated Siamese twin girls born in Manchester two months ago. Both were said to be making "good progress" in intensive care at London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. The 6 1/2 hour operation was carried out by one of the world's most experienced teams, led by Prof Lewis Spitz and Dr Edward Kiely.
The girls were joined at the chest and abdomen. Although they had separate hearts, the pericardial sac surrounding the heart was shared. It was known earlier that experts were optimistic since the twins shared only one organ, the liver. If the liver is split, both halves can grow to full size.