WHAT WOULD YOU DO? -- CONJOINED TWINS

[HairOfTheDog]

A Pennsylvania couple took their conjoined twins home from the hospital this weekend. The twins share a heart. So far, no set of conjoined twins who share a heart have been successfully separated without at least one of the twins dying.

Conjoined twins are rare -- one in 200,000 pregnancies result in the birth of conjoined twins and it's not always known that the babies are joined until very late in the pregnancy or after birth.

Conjoined twins happen when a woman produces a single egg that does not separate completely after it is fertilized. If it did divide completely, then the woman would give birth to identical twins. Fraternal twins are born from two separate fertilized eggs.

The overall survival rate of conjoined twins is from 5% to 25%, with about 75% of surgical separations resulting in at least one twin surviving. Approximately 200 pairs of conjoined twins are born alive each year, and about half die before their first birthday.

There have been several conjoined twins that were successfully separated surgically, but the chances of survival when they remain joined or when they are surgically separated depend in good part on the organs that the twins share.

Surgical separation is most risky when the twins share a heart or a head/brain tissue. However, it's not impossible for twins to survive such a separation. Australian doctors successfully separated these girls from Bangladesh back in 2009 -- they had been joined at the head.

Trishna and Krishna

They were only given a 25% chance of surviving the surgery and the chances of brain damage were high, but (at last report) they were recovering well without major issues.

These twins, Ladan and Laleh Bjani from Iran, lived for 29 years conjoined at the head. They always wanted to be separated because they had different hobbies, different career goals, etc...

Despite being warned by doctors that their chances of survival were very slim, the sisters underwent surgery with a huge team of expert surgeons in 2003. Their brain turned out to be highly fused and they lost a lot of blood in the operation. They did not survive, but I understand why the women took the risk.

This is a slide show of conjoined twins of different types -- some of whom are living as one and some who have been separated. http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/conjoine...ic-images/

If you had conjoined twins, would you elect to have a separation operation immediately if one twin had a good chance of surviving and leading a normal life (but the other would likely die)? Would you wait until they were older and let them decide for themselves? Would your decision be based on the survival likelihood for both? If you knew during the pregnancy that the babies were conjoined, would you choose to go forward with the birth?

They're tough questions that I've been asking myself since reading the story about the Pennsylvania couple and reading up on conjoined twins from around the world.

Refs:
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/24/health...-together/
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/conjoine...ic-images/

[ramseycat]

I have no idea what I would do. How do you choose if one most likely would die?

[Maggot]

Lotsa weird crazy stuff out there.

[Midwest Spy]

I think I'd opt for immediate surgery and try to have at least one child with a hopefully normal life.

[sally]

I think I'd opt for immediate surgery too. That's an awful decision to have to make.

It seems like most conjoined twins are born in other countries, mainly Indonesia and China. I wonder why that is.

[Duchess]

I think I'd probably have an abortion & I can hardly believe I'm saying that.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think I'd opt for immediate surgery too. That's an awful decision to have to make.

It seems like most conjoined twins are born in other countries, mainly Indonesia and China. I wonder why that is.

I'm not sure that most conjoined twins are born in Indonesia and China. If that's true, I'd guess it's because China has by far the largest population in the world, so they'd be statistically inclined to produce the most.

Indonesia is also in the top five countries population-wise and abortion is looked down upon more there than in most developed highly populous countries. But, I'd think India would produce more conjoined twins than Indonesia just because abortion is generally regarded as less acceptable there than many developed countries too and the population is second only to China.

Anyway, being that I'm not religious, if I knew that my babies were conjoined during pregnancy, I think I'd have an abortion. It would feel selfish to give birth to children who had a slim chance of survival, even though it would be incredibly difficult to make that call.

If I didn't know that they were conjoined until just before or after birth, I'd probably choose immediate separation surgery.

[Blindgreed1]

I think I'd opt for immediate surgery too. That's an awful decision to have to make.

It seems like most conjoined twins are born in other countries, mainly Indonesia and China. I wonder why that is.

I'm not sure that most conjoined twins are born in Indonesia and China. If that's true, I'd guess it's because China has by far the largest population in the world, so they'd be statistically inclined to produce the most.

Indonesia is also in the top five countries population-wise and abortion is looked down upon more there than in most developed highly populous countries. But, I'd think India would produce more conjoined twins than Indonesia just because abortion is generally regarded as less acceptable there than many developed countries too and the population is second only to China.

Anyway, being that I'm not religious, if I knew that my babies were conjoined during pregnancy, I think I'd have an abortion. It would feel selfish to give birth to children who had a slim chance of survival, even though it would be incredibly difficult to make that call.

If I didn't know that they were conjoined until just before or after birth, I'd probably choose immediate separation surgery.

I think that is the wisest choice because you also have to consider the twins quality of life conjoined and then add the risk of losing one or both during an attempt to seperate. It's a shitty set of options, but aborting during pregnancy is the most humane for the kids.

[HairOfTheDog]

^ Faith and Hope Howie, who were almost three weeks old, died yesterday at the Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney, Australia. (RIP.)

"Our precious baby girls, who gave it a good fight, are headed to the arms of the angels who will give them their wings," the statement from father Simon Howie and mother Renee Young said.

Faith and Hope Howie, who had an extremely rare condition called diprosopus, shared a body, limbs and a skull, but each had their own brains and a set of identical facial features.

There are about 35 similar cases recorded worldwide and none of these babies survived.

Doctors discovered the babies' condition during a routine ultrasound at 19 weeks and their parents went against medical advice when they continued with the pregnancy.

"If I only get two days with the baby, I only get two days with the baby, at least I have some time with it," Young told Australia’s ‘A Current Affair.’

Both parents ^, who already have seven children, showed enormous pride in their twins.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014...n-hospital
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/he...-1.1808263
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I don't understand these parents. They could have gotten an abortion at 19 weeks; there was no chance of these twins surviving and the parents already have seven kids.

IDK -- maybe there's some religious belief involved, or some additional motive aside from the mom wanting to have them no matter what.

[Maggot]

Media attention and money like the Duggers or whatever their numbskull names are. Back in the day you could sell them to the circus.

[HairOfTheDog]

Media attention and money like the Duggers or whatever their numbskull names are. Back in the day you could sell them to the circus.

Yeah, the thought crossed my mind, but I really hope that's not the case.

The parents seem to have been featured more than once on Australia's "Current Affair" program and the mother did an interview with "Woman's Day" magazine where she explained that the babies were developing different personalities.

No mention, none that I've seen at least, as to why the couple refused the doctors' suggestions to terminate the pregnancy, other than she wanted to spend time with them, even if it was a very short time. To me, it reeks of selfishness or perhaps a money/exposure motive.

[Duchess]

They are morons for bringing children into the world that had zero chance of surviving. There's nothing they can say that would ever make it alright in my eyes. Twats.

[HairOfTheDog]

BEATING THE ODDS



On July 15, 2013, Emmett and Owen Ezell were born conjoined at the stomach, connected from the chest to the belly button and sharing a liver and intestines.

They underwent a risky nine-hour separation surgery at one-month old and have undergone countless procedures since.

11 months after they were born, the twins left the hospital for the first time (on June 12^th) to live with their parents, two older brothers and a full-time nurse in Grand Prairie, Texas.



'We are overjoyed. Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Full of love and hope. Worried. Relieved. Enamored," wrote their parents Jenni and Dave Ezell (pic below).


They've still got a long road ahead -- hoping the little guys live long and healthy lives.

Ref:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/nation...wt_DCBrand

[HairOfTheDog]

Conjoined Yemeni boys have just been successfully separated in Saudi Arabia.

They shared intestines, a urinary system and a pelvis.





Both boys are reportedly doing quite well.

The miracles of modern medicine...

[Duchess]

Go, babies!

[sally]

Conjoined twins are a hot mess. I'm glad they're doing well.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm really hoping the McDonald twins recover fully and go on to live long, full lives. They and their family (from Illinois) have been through so much already; fighters.






Born conjoined at the head, the 13-month-old twins Anias and Jadon -- little "warriors," their parents call them -- spent the weekend recovering from the 27-hour surgery that separated them.

The boys also have a 3-year-old brother, Aza. He's grown more quiet in recent weeks ahead of the twins' surgery.

The boys shared 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter of brain tissue. Only one out of every 2.5 million live births results in twins conjoined at the head. But 80% of them die of medical complications by the age of 2 if not separated.

The surgery -- which began early Thursday and ended shortly before 1 p.m. Friday -- took place at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. It was led by neurosurgeon Dr. James Goodrich, considered the leading expert on what's known as craniopagus surgery.

The first 72 hours of recovery are most critical for long-term survival, doctors told the parents. Christian said the boys were stable and doing well after a weekend of challenges.

Anias suffered a few seizures on Saturday, including one that lasted for 45 minutes, Christian said. The seizures have since been brought under control with the anti-seizure medicine Ativan, he said.

Jadon has yet to move his left side. While that is troubling, Christian remains optimistic. "That's not something really worrying Dr. Goodrich right now," the father said. "He says that's not out of the ordinary. Hopefully, in time, he will start moving that side."

Refs:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/16/health/con...y-parents/
http://wqad.com/2016/10/13/the-mcdonald-...d-at-head/