Rare conjoined twins born in Mumbai's Sion Hospital

In a rare instance, a 26-year-old woman has given birth to conjoined twins, who have "a very complex internal architecture", at a hospital here.
Shahin Khan, delivered the twins at the civic-run Sion Hospital yesterday morning, doctors said today, adding the mother and babies are doing fine.
Dr Suleman Merchant, Dean of Sion Hospital, said the conjoined twins, who weighed 4.5kg at birth, are not the usual type and have "a very complex internal architecture".
"Externally they have two separate heads and necks, but a partially common thorax, and are completely fused below the umbilicus level," he said.
The twins are under the care of Dr Paras Kothari, HOD of Paediatrics Surgery at the hospital.

"We are fortunate to have Dr Paras Kothari, who has successfully operated on many conjoined twins. He will be the leader of a vast team of specialists and super specialists which has been assigned the task of planning the future course of action for these conjoined twins," said Merchant.

He said the team also includes paediatrics surgeons, neonatologists and anaesthetists.
According to doctors, conjoined twins are born 1 in every 2 lakh births and only 5-25 per cent survive.
The babies will require many more investigations, end of which the next course of action will be decided, Merchant said.
The hospital will provide free of cost medical care and future treatment of the babies, he said.