Rare condition joins two girls at the head

Two year old twins Hiyab and Wuhbto were born in Ethiopia with craniopagus, an extremely rare condition where they were joined at the head facing opposite directions.

How rare is this condition?

Craniopagus occurs in less than six percent of all conjoined twins cases, according to the National Library of Medicine. It happens only about once in every two point five million live births.

Nearly two years unable to see each other

For nearly two years, the girls could hear each other's voices but could not see each other's faces. Leaving them conjoined posed significant risks to their long term health.

A year of planning for the operation

The twins traveled from Ethiopia to Missouri in twenty twenty five. At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, a team of nearly thirty medical specialists spent almost a year planning the complicated operation.

Twenty five hours to separate them

The surgery took place in February and lasted twenty five hours. Surgeons had to delicately separate the girls' shared blood vessels. Dr. Joanna Kemp led the surgical team and was the first female neurosurgeon in the United States to perform this surgery.

“quite wild”

Recovery continues with more surgery ahead

The girls are continuing care at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Wuhbto recently had a successful cranioplasty, and Hiyab will have a similar operation later this fall. The hospital hopes to send them home to Ethiopia soon.