Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — A special medical team led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah carried out on Thursday a successful surgery to separate Yemeni girl Aisha Ahmed Saeed Mahimoud from her parasitic twin at the King Abdullah Specialty Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh which is affiliated with the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh.

The surgery was carried out in the implementation of the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Expressing his happiness over the successful surgery, Dr. Al-Rabeeah, who is an adviser at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), said the operation in which 25 doctors and specialists participated in addition to technicians and nursing cadres, took seven hours and 35 minutes.

“We will monitor Aisha’s situation for a few days before starting the rehabilitation process which will take 8 to 10 weeks,” Dr. Al-Rabeeah said while making the announcement.

Giving out details of the surgical procedure, Dr. Al-Rabiah said that the operation began with the anesthesia stage, which saw the team led by Dr. Nizar Al-Zughaibi administer medications to the patient and follow it with the insertion of respiratory, venous and arterial tubes to ensure an accurate awareness of all parameters. This was followed by the second stage in which the urology team led by Dr. Fayez Al-Madhhan performed diagnostic endoscopy of the urinary and reproductive system. The third stage consisted of the sterilization and preparation of the sites to be operated on.

According to Dr. Al-Rabiah, the fourth stage began with the plastic surgery team led by Dr. Obaid Al-Mishal opening the skin and membranes and separating them from the parasitic limbs in order to use them in covering the void left by the surgery.

He added that the fifth stage, led by Dr. Ayman Jawadi's pediatric orthopedic team, consisted of separating the pelvis and parasitic limbs and modifying the pelvis.

The sixth stage saw the return of the pediatric urology team which separated and restored the shared parts of the lower urinary and reproductive system. This was followed by the seventh stage in which the intestines were explored for an opening and the temporary removal of the colon by the pediatric surgery team led by Dr. Muhammad Al-Namshan.

Dr. Al-Rabiah pointed out the participation of most surgical teams in the eighth and last stage which consisted of reconstruction and the closing of any gaps resulting from the separation procedure. Eventually, all wounds were covered, and young Aisha was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit.

He prayed to God to grant Aisha continued health and wellness and added that the medical team was able to wake her up after the surgery and remove the artificial respirators, enabling her to interact with the medical team and smile in gratitude to the Kingdom's generous leadership and people.

Dr. Al-Rabiah expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and to the Crown Prince for their support and for the Kingdom's great humanitarian outreach and praised the efforts and experience of the members of the medical and surgical team who played a role in this achievement.

He pointed that the separation surgery is the 50th to be carried out in the Kingdom as part of the Saudi National Program for the Separation of Conjoined Twins, which is an achievement.

Over three decades, 117 Siamese twins from 22 countries have been examined and assessed as part of the program.