to-head operating tables were then slightly pulled apart, said Osborne. Reconstruction of the boys' skulls, a major project, is to be left for later. The separation was the culmination of a gradual surgical approach that lasted 10 months, a departure from the more common marathon operations that have separated other conjoined twins. It is likely to be months before the twins' conditions can be fully assessed, their doctors said. In the past, separation was considered a success if both twins simply survived. But Montefiore's goal for the Aguirre boys, who have never been able to sit up, stand straight or look at each other's face, was «viable, independent lives.» Over four major surgeries since October, the boys' separate-but-touching brains were gently pushed apart and the tangle of blood vessels they shared were cut and divided. Between surgeries, the boys were given time to heal and to adapt to their rerouted circulation systems. Originally, veins near Clarence's brain were doing much of the circulation work for both boys, but scans showed dormant veins on Carl's side had «plumped up» and begun working in response to the surgery, lead surgeon Dr. James Goodrich said last week.
