What now for conjoined twins?

IF an operation is done to separate conjoined baby girls born at Oshakati on Monday, one twin would definitely die while the other would have a very low chance of survival.

This was spelled out yesterday by Dr Mariela Perez, the radiologist at the Oshakati State Hospital. According to medical staff who conducted the ultrasound, the twins – Talohole Taimi and Ngendinomwa Monica – share a heart and their livers are fused together.Around 40 per cent of conjoined twins are joined in this way.The parents, Elizabeth Paulus (35) and Salomo Diongenus from Iiwiyongo village in the Oshana Region, had no idea that they were expecting conjoined twins – also termed Siamese twins – until an ultrasound scan was performed before the birth.Apart from the inherent dangers of an operation, Namibia does not have the resources to conduct a medical procedure of this nature.The girls were born by caesarean section.According to medical staff who conducted the ultrasound, the twins – Talohole Taimi and Ngendinomwa Monica – share a heart and their livers are fused together.Around 40 per cent of conjoined twins are joined in this way.The parents, Elizabeth Paulus (35) and Salomo Diongenus from Iiwiyongo village in the Oshana Region, had no idea that they were expecting conjoined twins – also termed Siamese twins – until an ultrasound scan was performed before the birth.Apart from the inherent dangers of an operation, Namibia does not have the resources to conduct a medical procedure of this nature.The girls were born by caesarean section.