Babies conjoined with heart, head in opposite directions

The Central Children’s Hospital in Hanoi has received a most unusual case of conjoined twins who share a chest but their heads are turned in opposite directions.

Preliminary examinations showed they do not share a heart or liver, just the skin and cartilage.

But Liem said one of them had an artery malformation and the other has a problem with its auricle-ventricle partition. One baby also has parts of its heart located in the thorax of the other.

The babies have been assisted with respirator and the hospital is planning to operate on them next Tuesday to separate them and treat their heart conditions, and also to find out if they have any other conjoined parts, Liem said.

They weigh 4.7 kilos in total and no malformation was detected during the pregnancy, which is the first one for the mother.

Dr. Tran Minh Dien of the hospital told the newswire Vnexpress Friday that the babies have not got better after being hospitalized for three days. “This is the most difficult case of conjoined twins we’ve ever seen. Their critical heart malformations have affected their health.”

Source: Tuoi Tre