Monday November 30, 2020
ISTANBUL, Turkey —A Somali conjoined twin who was born with four legs underwent an eight-hour operation in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday.
The infant was born 55 days ago with severe anomalies at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a hospital supported by Turkey.
The infant was referred to the Zeynep Kamil Women's and Children's Disease Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul.The operation was carried out with a multidisciplinary approach. Two legs of the baby were removed, and anomalies related to the genitourinary and intestinal system were also corrected.
The twin is what is known as a parasitic twin, an identical twin that stopped developing during gestation, but is physically attached to the fully developing twin.
Dr. Semra Kayatas Eser, the Istanbul hospital's chief of medicine, said the child is in good condition.
“While our country fights COVID-19, it also continues to serve patients from Turkey and beyond," she said.
Praising the efforts of the Turkish Health Ministry and the University of Health Sciences, where the hospital is based, she said their dedication has set examples for the world.
Muno Dahir, the infant's mother, said she was happy to learn that the child would be treated in Turkey. "This surgery was difficult in our country since we do not have advanced technology and experienced doctors," she explained.
“I think she will be fine after the next operations,” she said, thanking the Turkish doctors and nurses for their support.