A woman from Assam has given birth to conjoined twin daughters who are joined at the head, but have separate bodies and face in the opposite direction. Their limbs and other vital organs are healthy. However, they share a brain.
Sarifa Khatun, 35, and her husband Yakur Ali have been told by the doctors that investigations are underway. Paediatrician Dr Aatur Rahman said that a brain surgery could separate the children so that they are able to live a normal life, Daily Mail reported.
"It is a rare case. The babies are stable and healthy and can be separated in a surgery. But only a neurosurgeon can determine the complexity of their case. We have referred them to an advanced hospital in Guwahati where a paediatric surgeon and neurosurgeon will look into their case," Rahman said.
Khatun gave birth to the conjoined twin daughters at home after her water broke as there was no transportation available in the village to take her to hospital. Both Khatun and her husband are hoping that their daughters can be separated through the brain surgery suggested by Dr Rahman.
"My wife had to give birth to the children at home because transportation was not possible. Now, that our babies are born safely, all we want is a possible surgery that can separate them so they lead a normal life," Ali, who is a farmer, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
Last month, a woman from Haryana had delivered conjoined male twins at AIIMS through a caesarean surgery. However, the babies, who shared a heart and a liver, died shortly after birth. According to a doctor at AIIMS, the babies "had three hands and two legs, shared a three-chambered heart, which is not normal, and a liver."
