Saudi Achievement: Separation of Syrian Conjoined Twins in Riyadh with the Participation of 24 Doctors

In a new medical and humanitarian achievement, a Saudi medical team led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah announced the success of the separation surgery of the Syrian conjoined twins "Celine and Eileen" conducted today at the King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City, affiliated with the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh.

The Syrian conjoined twins, the girls "Celine and Eileen Abdel-Monem Al-Shibli", were born in February 2024 in the Arsal refugee camp for Syrian refugees in Lebanon as part of a triplet pregnancy that resulted in two conjoined girls and a third healthy child.

Their birth was by cesarean section at Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut, and their combined weight at the time of the operation was about 14.5 kilograms. They are approximately a year and a half old.

The surgery, which lasted about 9 hours and was carried out in six precise stages, involved the participation of 24 doctors including consultants and specialists, along with dozens of nurses and technicians from various specialties including pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, anesthesia, and intensive care.

Medical balloons were placed under the skin in advance to expand the skin in preparation for covering the exposed areas after separation.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah explained that detailed examinations showed that the twins were conjoined at the lower chest and abdomen, sharing the liver, heart membrane, and possibly the intestines, necessitating special preparation for the surgery to ensure their safety after separation.

He added that this operation is the fourth of its kind for twins from Syria, and the 66th operation within the Saudi program for separating conjoined twins, which started in 1990 and has successfully separated 65 pairs of twins from 27 countries so far, after studying more than 150 cases.

Syrian Health Minister Dr. Moussaab Al-Ali provided details of the operation directly via video, congratulating the twins' father on its success and appreciating the continuous Saudi support to the Syrian health sector, especially in dealing with critical cases.

Al-Ali emphasized that these precise surgical operations are not currently available in Syria, reflecting the significant progress made by the Kingdom in this field.

On the other hand, the official spokesperson for the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Dr. Samer Al-Jatili, expressed his pride in this moment, describing it as "carrying a lot of hope and pain", noting that the operation represents a new step towards granting the twins "Celine and Eileen" a normal life.

According to the World Health Organization, conjoined twin cases occur at a rate of one case per 100,000 live births, with females being more susceptible than males.

Separation surgeries, especially in cases of head attachment, are among the most complex surgeries in medicine, with a mortality rate of up to 60% at birth. The difficulty is relatively lower in cases of attachment at the abdomen or chest, but they still fall within the category of high-risk and precision operations.

This operation is part of the ongoing efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the humanitarian and medical field, specifically within the program for separating conjoined twins overseen by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, reaffirming its leading role in supporting children and critical cases from various countries around the world.