Staff Reporter :
The nation witnessed the first successful conjoined spine separation of 20-month-old conjoined twins Nuba and Naba at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Monday late night.
It was the first successful conjoined spine separation which has taken a 15-hour surgery.
Doctors said the complex surgery, involving a team of 100 doctors including 39 specialists, commenced at 9am and concluded at midnight.
The twins, born with fused spines, are currently in stable condition and under intensive care.
Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen confirmed their well-being and separation at a press briefing in the hospital on Tuesday.
“The final stage of the operation was completed successfully. Nuba and Naba are now in ICU,” said BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed.
BSMMU Neurosurgery Professor Dr Mohammad Hossain, who led the operation, said that the twins previously underwent several minor surgeries. After the final separation surgery on late night Monday, they have now regained consciousness and are moving their limbs.
However, due to the complexity of the surgery, a full recovery and discharge are estimated to take two months.
The twins have been under BSMMU’s care since they were eight months old.
The twins were born on 21 March 2022 to transport worker Md Alamgir Rana and his wife in Kurigram.
The couple was initially devastated, however, BSMMU’s commitment, spearheaded by Dr Hossain, provided hope.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the initiative to bear the twins’ medical costs after being contacted by hospital authorities.
The twins were admitted to BSMMU in April 2022 and underwent their first successful surgery on 31 January 2023.
The medical team for Nuha and Naba’s separation operation included specialists in pediatric surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, pediatric medicine, vascular surgery, anaesthesia, and transfusion medicine.
