Falkawn/Mizoram: Zoram Medical College (ZMC) in Mizoram achieved a surgical milestone by successfully separating a pair of conjoined twins on Monday.

On February 9, a set of twins who were conjoined at the chest, abdomen, and liver were born in Lawngtlai, a district located in southern Mizoram.

They were transferred to ZMC from the Lawngtlai District Hospital.

ZMC Director Dr. T Lalhmangaihi said, “A surgeon team consisting of a paediatric surgeon, plastic surgeon, general surgeon and anaesthesiologist performed the operation for three hours.”

Due to the fact that the twins have a shared liver which cannot sustain both of them, the decision was made to separate the liver in the hope that it will be able to support one of the babies.

The infants are currently being monitored in ZMC's NICU.

Prior to the surgery, a contrast CT scan was conducted by ZMC radiologists, followed by several tests and consultations with anesthesiologists, to determine the next course of action.

Finally, the parents were asked for their consent to proceed with the operation in the hopes of saving at least one of the twins, according to the director of ZMC.

A staff working at the Lawngtlai district hospital told EastMojo that the family of the conjoined twins wanted to protect their privacy from the media.

“As soon as the babies were born, they were put in an SNCU. The medical team who performed the c-section at the time of their birth had to work for extended hours due to the complication of the case,” she said.