Doctors in St. Louis have successfully separated Ethiopian two-year-old twin girls who were born joined at the head after a months-long series of complex operations culminating in a nearly 25-hour final procedure, doctors said on Wednesday.
Hiyab and Wuhbto, who were born as craniopagus twins, underwent six major surgeries over several months before the final separation operation in February 2026.
“Our team has performed a series of six complex neurologic and plastic and reconstructive surgeries, concluding with a definitive nearly 24-hour separation procedure,” Dr. Andrew White, chief pediatrician at Sisters of Saint Mary (SSM) Health Cardinal Glennon Hospital, said.
The announcement, months after the twins' separation surgery, was timed to ensure the twins met health benchmarks for rehabilitation.
Video released by the hospital showed the sisters as infants joined at the head and playing with rattles while under the care of doctors and nurses.
The girls travelled from Mekelle, Ethiopia, to the United States in 2025 with support from children's healthcare charities and arrived in St. Louis for treatment.
Doctors said one of the biggest challenges was separating an extensive network of veins shared by the twins.
“Largely what these girls shared was a very large network of connected veins that spanned around their skulls,” said neurosurgeon Dr. Joanna Kemp. “In order to successfully separate them, we had to dedicate some of these veins to one twin and some to the other.”
The team carried out four staged procedures to divide blood vessels gradually and allow each child to develop independent circulation.
Kemp said doctors were forced to adjust their timetable after encountering a brief episode of twin-to-twin blood flow imbalance following an earlier vascular separation surgery.
Following the separation, the twins spent time recovering at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.
Chen said rehabilitation remains ongoing, but doctors are encouraged by the girls' progress. “We're very pleased with how they're going,” he said.
A building at Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in ...
Russian strikes killed ...
A former Ukrainian military officer has gone on trial in Germany, accused of orchestrating the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions that disrupted ...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
A building at Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in the eastern city of Dhahran was attacked late Tuesday, causing a limited fire, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said on Wednesday. The incident came as fighting between the kingdom and Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi group intensify.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Visitors to Armenia could face temperature screening after a lab worker died from suspected Pneumonic plague in Russia, Yerevan’s Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan told lawmakers on Wednesday, Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported.
Health advice now reaches people through social media, fitness apps, wearable technology and AI. From detoxes and protein-focused diets to skincare and fitness trends, online wellness content is shaping everyday health choices while raising concerns about misinformation and potential risks.
Global cholera deaths reached their highest annual level in more than 20 years in 2025, despite a decline in reported cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chinese researchers have developed the world’s smallest CT scanner, a portable device designed to produce images of tiny fossils and archaeological relics.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 17 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of health.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment