Malian surgeons perform historic conjoined twin separation surgery

A multidisciplinary medical team at Gabriel Toure University Hospital in Bamako, Mali, has successfully separated conjoined twin girls. According to the country's Health Ministry, this is the first operation of its kind to be performed in the West African nation. The twins were born by cesarean section on August 29 following a full-term pregnancy during which congenital abnormalities had already been detected.

The newborn girls were joined through parts of their urinary and digestive systems, sharing a bladder and a colon. To perform the complex procedure, hospital director Professor Thierno Madani Diop assembled a diverse team including pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensive-care specialists, cardiologists, radiologists, pharmacists, and laboratory and operating-room personnel.

Health Minister Assa Badiallo Toure visited the babies and praised the medical staff, describing the successful operation as a major milestone for specialized medicine in Mali. This landmark achievement follows another successful separation of conjoined twins in Africa, which took place in March at Mankweng Hospital, a rural public facility in South Africa.