RIYADH — A specialized Saudi surgical team separated on Thursday the Syrian conjoined twins — Ihsan and Bassam. The operation was carried out at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital under the King Abdulaziz Medical City of the National Guard in Riyadh. The 32-months old Ihsan and Bassam were said to be in a stable condition following the complicated surgical procedures that took more than seven and a half hours. The twins shared lower chest, abdomen, liver, and intestines, with Ihsan being the more dominant and Bassam missing urinary and reproductive systems. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor at the Royal Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), led the operation that was carried out in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A26-member medical team comprised of consultant, specialists, technical, nursing, and support staff participated in the Separation surgery that took place in five stages. In a press statement after the operation, Dr. Al-Rabeeah expressed his happiness over the success of the operation, which was the 58th operation carried out by the team under the Saudi Program for the Separation of Siamese Twins, which enjoys the support and follow-up of King Salman and the Crown Prince. Dr. Al-Rabeeah said that the surgery was made all the more complex due to Ihsan having major congenital heart defects and cerebral development atrophy, reducing his chances of survival. "The twin Ihsan was considered an intruder on his brother Bassam due to the absence of the urinary and reproductive system such as kidneys, ureters, bladder, and male genitalia. Ihsan also suffered from major congenital defects in the heart that hinder his life with cerebral development atrophy, and he has insufficiency and congenital defects in the intestines, and so the medical team considers that the child Ihsan may not live for more than a few days based on the major deficiencies in his body." Dr. Al-Rabeeah pointed out that this operation was, in a sense, a rescue mission for the twin Bassam, whose condition is stable, and the operation is considered successful by all criteria. For their part, the parents of the twins expressed their thanks and gratitude to King Salman, Crown Prince, and the specialized medical team for their dedicated work that resulted in the successful surgical separation. "We communicated with the KSRelief, and they got back to us, all thanks to them," said Mahmud Salih, father of the twins. "All procedures were done in the best possible way, from the very beginning until our arrival in the Kingdom," the parents said while praising the Kingdom's great humanitarian initiative. They also appreciated the warm reception and hospitality that they are being received throughout their stay in Saudi Arabia.
