Conjoined twins with fused brains are separated with help of Great Ormond Street surgeon

Health 16:53 01.08.2022
Twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima, who were joined at the head, have been successfully separated in an operation in Brazil.
 
The three-year-olds, who were born with fused brains, underwent several operations, with the direction of Great Ormond Street Hospital paediatric surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani.
Brazilian twins Bernardo (top) and Arthur Lima who have been successfully separated.
They had seven surgical procedures, involving more than 27 hours of operating time in the final operation alone, and almost 100 medical staff.
Noor ul Owase Jeelani with Bernardo (left) and Arthur, and parents Adriely and Antonia Lima. 
 
It was one of the most complex separation processes ever completed, according to the charity which funded it and which Mr Jeelani founded in 2018 — Gemini Untwined. Time Magazine ranked Mr Jeelani among the top 100 surgeons in the UK in 2011 and top 100 paediatric specialists in the UK in 2012.
 
This was Mr Jeelani’s sixth separation procedure with Gemini Untwined, after he previously operated on twins from Pakistan, Sudan, Israel, and Turkey.
Noor ul Owase Jeelani with Bernardo (left) and Arthur, and parents Adriely and Antonia Lima.
 
Surgeons in London and Rio spent months trialling techniques using virtual reality projections of the twins based on CT and MRI scans — something Mr Jeelani described as “space-age stuff”.
 
He said that, for the first time in the world, surgeons in separate countries wore headsets and operated in the same “virtual reality room” together.
 
Speaking about the VR aspect of the surgery, Mr Jeelani said: “It’s just wonderful, it’s really great to see the anatomy and do the surgery before you actually put the children at any risk.
 
“You can imagine how reassuring that is for the surgeons.
 
“In some ways these operations are considered the hardest of our time, and to do it in virtual reality was just really man-on-Mars stuff.”
Brazilian twins Bernardo (top) and Arthur Lima who have been successfully separated.
 
He said that previously unsuccessful attempts to separate the boys meant their anatomy was complicated by scar tissue, and he was “really apprehensive” about the risky procedure.
 
Mr Jeelani said he was “absolutely shattered” after the 27-hour operation, where he took only four 15-minute breaks for food and water, but it was “wonderful” to see the family feeling “over the moon” afterwards.
 
“There were a lot of tears and hugs,” he said. “It was wonderful to be able to help them on this journey.”
 
He added that, as with all conjoined twins after separation, the boys’ blood pressures and heart rates were “through the roof” — until they were reunited four days later and touched hands.
 
Mr Jeelani said they were recovering well.
 
He added that his charity has fast become a “global repository for knowledge and experience” of separation surgery, and he hopes it will serve as a model for a “global health service” providing expert care in other rare diseases.
 
“The idea behind the charity was to create a global health service for super-rare cases to try and improve results for these kids,” he said.
 
“The model of what we have done, I think, can and should be replicated for other super-rare conditions.”
 
Mr Jeelani led the procedure alongside Dr Gabriel Mufarrej, head of paediatric surgery at Instituto Estadual do Cerebro Paulo Niemeyer in Brazil.
 
Dr Mufarrej said the hospital where he works has been caring for the boys for two-and-a-half years, and their separation will be “life-changing”.
 
He said: “Since the parents of the boys came from their home in the Roraima region to Rio to seek our help two-and-a-half years ago, they had become part of our family here in the hospital.
 
“We are delighted that the surgery went so well and the boys and their family have had such a life-changing outcome.”
 
As Bernardo and Arthur are almost four years old, they are also the oldest craniopagus twins with a fused brain to have been separated.
 
According to Gemini figures, one in 60,000 births result in conjoined twins, and only 5 per cent of these are joined at the head — known as craniopagus children.
 
It is estimated that 50 such sets of twins are born around the world every year.
 
Of them, it is thought only 15 survive beyond the first 30 days of life.
 
With current technologies, which the charity aims to make more accessible, approximately half of these cases would be candidates for successful surgical separation.
IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Russia charges former deputy defense minister with fraud, illegal arms trafficking
20:45 08.07.2025
Far-right Israeli ministers call to block Gaza aid, enforce starvation, halt ceasefire talks
20:30 08.07.2025
Ukraine appeals to OPCW to investigate possible use of chemical weapons by Russia
20:00 08.07.2025
Minister: Slovenia considers Azerbaijan key partner in green transition
19:45 08.07.2025
Ukrainian forces push back and hold ground in Russian regions, army chief says
19:30 08.07.2025
Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan open new border crossing point
19:15 08.07.2025
Azerbaijan, Slovenia discuss green energy collaboration
19:00 08.07.2025
Baku hosts conference on role of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in media development
18:45 08.07.2025
Another Training Session Held at IEPF Headquarters – Representation at the UN in Focus
18:15 08.07.2025
'We will de-risk our economies, but we do not want to decouple,' EU Commission president says on relations with China
18:15 08.07.2025
France’s Macron makes state visit to UK with migration and Ukraine on agenda
18:00 08.07.2025
Armenian Investigative Committee conducts searches at 51 addresses simultaneously
17:45 08.07.2025
4 killed, over 20 injured in Cairo data center fire
17:30 08.07.2025
Unknown individuals attack MPs in Armenian parliament
17:15 08.07.2025
Raids on illegal migrants in hostels, prayer houses in Moscow
17:00 08.07.2025
Hakan Fidan doesn’t rule out meeting of Russian, Ukrainian and US presidents in Türkiye
16:45 08.07.2025
Investigators raid head office of Electric Networks of Armenia
16:30 08.07.2025
Family of 4 killed after small plane crashes in North Carolina
16:15 08.07.2025
ASCO discusses port, logistics centers development with Chinese company
16:00 08.07.2025
Newcastle agree £55m fee for Forest winger Elanga
15:45 08.07.2025
Pashinyan says he will personally lead 'liberation' of Armenian church
15:30 08.07.2025
Russian emergencies minister thanks Azerbaijan for organizing evacuation of Russian citizens from Iran
15:15 08.07.2025
Azerbaijani parliament adopts in final reading improvement of requirements for services and work provided by NGOs
15:00 08.07.2025
MP: Zangazur Corridor, return of Western Azerbaijanis are on agenda of international platforms
14:45 08.07.2025
French MP found dead, suicide considered as possible cause
14:30 08.07.2025
UK sanctions Russian officials and lab over chemical weapons use in Ukraine
14:15 08.07.2025
Turkish FM discusses Russia-Ukraine war with UN Secretary-General
14:00 08.07.2025
White House: US in contact 'directly and indirectly' with Iran on deal
13:45 08.07.2025
Former PSG midfielder Marco Verratti joins Al-Duhail from Qatari rivals Al-Arabi
13:30 08.07.2025
US ending temporary protected status for migrants from Nicaragua, Honduras
13:15 08.07.2025
Houses destroyed as result of storms, floods in Poland
13:00 08.07.2025
EU to introduce toughest sanctions against Russia — France’s FM
12:45 08.07.2025
US-Iran talks may take place next week
12:30 08.07.2025
Pentagon confirms US plans to send additional 'defensive weapons' to Kiev
12:15 08.07.2025
Trump sets 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea
12:00 08.07.2025
Israeli army says 5 soldiers killed, 14 injured in northern Gaza
11:45 08.07.2025
Brazil’s president sounds alarm over multilateralism crisis, condemns Gaza genocide at BRICS summit
11:30 08.07.2025
Protest Held in London Backing Pro-Palestine March Organizers Accused of Offences
11:15 08.07.2025
Japan to make diplomatic efforts to ensure implementation of Israel-Iran ceasefire: Top diplomat
11:00 08.07.2025
Trump Holds Talks with Netanyahu at the White House
10:45 08.07.2025
Hamısı