Separated twins 'doing well'

Anjeli and Anggi, who were born with three legs and shared intestines, were fully conscious after Saturday's 10-hour operation in Singapore's Gleneagles Hospital.

"They are doing very well. They both woke up this morning and were smiling at their parents and doctors," said Tan Kai Chah, one of the leading surgeons in the 15-member operating team.

One twin had been taken off the respirator and was breathing on her own. The other was likely to be taken off the breathing apparatus in a day, he said.

But doctors said the girls were not yet out of danger as post-operative complications could still arise. One of the twins also has a heart defect.

The surgeons' task was complicated by the need to divide shared internal organs between the sisters.

"It wasn't clear at all until late into the operation who was going to get what," said Edward Kiely, another surgeon.

Because the girls' intestines were joined, doctors had to ensure that each child had properly functioning digestive systems by assigning different sections of bowels between the two.

The twins, born in the rural Indonesian province of Medan to a snack vendor and his wife, were left with one functioning leg each.

Wealthy Indonesians paid for the S$450,000 ($270,000) operation, while some of the surgeons also waived their fees.

The twins, who arrived in the city-state in February, underwent a string of medical tests before the surgery.

Due to their limited mobility, conjoined twins can suffer from a host of medical problems, including blood clots and pressure sores.

Conjoined twins occur roughly once in every 50,000 births and once in every 200,000 live births. Many of those born alive do not live long. For twins who undergo surgery, one often dies after the operation and the rate of survival beyond the age of two is just 20 percent.

This is the fourth operation in Singapore to separate foreign-born conjoined twins.