RIYADH: A Saudi medical team began surgery on Thursday to separate Tanzanian conjoined twins Laitience and Loveness, aged 2 years and 2 months, at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City.

The operation is part of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief and head of the program’s medical and surgical team.

Al-Rabeeah said the twins arrived in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 27. Following their admission to the hospital, specialists conducted comprehensive medical examinations and held several consultations to assess their condition and determine the appropriate surgical approach.

Al-Rabeeah said the twins were joined at the pelvis and hips and share four lower limbs. They also share the lower part of the intestines, lumbar vertebrae, spinal column and spinal cord.

They underwent a skin expansion procedure over several months to prepare them for the separation surgery.

According to Al-Rabeeah, the operation was expected to take about 15 hours across nine stages, with an estimated success rate of 70 percent.

A team of 44 consultants, specialists, nurses, and technical staff was participating in the procedure, covering anesthesia, pediatric surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, urology, and plastic surgery.

The procedure marks the fourth separation operation involving conjoined twins from Tanzania and the 75th operation conducted under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program. Since its establishment in 1990, the program has cared for 160 twins from 29 countries across five continents.

Al-Rabeeah thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on behalf of himself and the medical and surgical team, for their continued support of the program.

He said their support enabled the team to provide specialized medical care and improve the quality of life of the children it cared for.