A unique medical team made history: Siamese twins who were joined at the head, were separated after undergoing the first surgery of its kind. Bernardo and Arthur Lima, both three years old from Brazil, were born with one brain. The procedure took 27 hours and was conducted with the cooperation of more than 100 staff members.
The charity Gemini Untwined, which funded the complex process, claimed that experts from London and Rio de Janeiro had been practicing the procedure for months. It was also reported that the surgery was very complicated because the brains of the two children were connected.
***Pictures difficult to view**
Dr. Noor Al Awas Jilani, a pediatric surgeon from the United Kingdom, said that experts trained together for the operation in a virtual space with the help of VR (virtual reality) glasses. “It was like something from a science fiction movie,” he said. “It is very useful to see the whole anatomy of the patients and practice the surgery, without endangering the children’s safety. In some ways, this is one of the most difficult surgeries of our time and therefore, the fact that we trained on it in virtual reality is tantamount to putting a man on Mars.”
The organization noted that Dr. Jilani finished the operation completely exhausted, after taking only four 15-minute breaks to eat and drink. In addition, they noted that this is the first time that the children are brought into the operating room because previous models led to a worsening of their medical condition due to scar tissue in their heads.
“The operation was difficult, but the family members were in the clouds when it was over,” added the pediatric surgeon. “There were a lot of tears and hugs, and it was very moving that we were able to help them along the way.” Dr. Jilani said that at the end of the operation, the heart rate and blood pressure of the children increased, but their indicators eventually stabilized after they met each other for the first time after 4 days.
Dr. Jilani has already worked in the past with the Gemini Untwined organization and separated twins in the countries of Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey and even in Israel. Bernardo and Arthur are currently defined as the oldest Siamese twins to be surgically separated, after being born with a conjoined head.