Twins joined at buttocks successfully separated

Two-year-old Sudanese twins Hassan and Al-Hussein, who were joined at the buttocks and spinal cord and shared the same penis and anus, are seen at a hospital in Abu Dhabi Saturday, moments before the operation that successfully separated them. PHOTO: AFP

Twins Hassan and al-Hussein were joined at the buttocks and spinal cord and shared the same penis and anus, Gulf News said.

They were separated in a 16-hour operation performed by a team of 27 doctors and nurses, including some from Britain and Canada, on Thursday, it said. Each now has a fully functioning male organ.

Doctors described the twins as one of the rarest cases in medical history, the English-language daily added.

Newspapers said UAE armed forces chief of staff Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahayan was paying for the operation and the boys' recovery.