Erin and Abby Delaney Successfully separated conjoined twins from the USA Country: USA

Content:

1. Erin and Abby Delaney: Successfully Separated Conjoined Twins
2. Early Life and Surgery
3. Complications and Recovery
4. Current Progress and Future

Erin and Abby Delaney: Successfully Separated Conjoined Twins

Erin and Abby Delaney, conjoined twins born in the United States, have "taken a step forward" four months after a risky separation surgery, but the battle for their full recovery continues to this day. Following an 11-hour surgical procedure to separate them, Erin and Abby Delaney have exceeded all expectations. Now one year old, the sisters were born as craniopagus twins, the rarest form of conjoined twins, connected at the head. The surgical team at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia successfully operated on the girls when they were eleven months old, making them among the youngest successfully separated craniopagus twins. Currently, Erin is at home undergoing therapy to improve mobility and speech skills. Her recovery is progressing more easily, as her skull was not as severely affected as Abby's. Abby experienced brain bleeding and multiple infections. She is still in the hospital, but her parents hope to have the whole family together at home for Christmas.

Early Life and Surgery

Erin and Abby were born on July 24, 2016, via cesarean section, ten weeks premature. The doctors warned their parents, Heather and Riley from Mooresville, North Carolina, that the separation procedure could potentially result in the death of one or both twins. Neurosurgeon Gregory Heuer stated before the operation, "It's scary and we're scared, but we can't let fear bind our hands. We have to do the operation that needs to be done." Dr. Heuer and his team inserted a special device into the twins' skulls to help stretch their skin before the separation surgery. The operation to separate eleven-month-old Erin and Abby took place on June 7, 2017, and lasted eleven hours. Surgeons preferred to operate on the girls at such a young age, as the chances of successful separation and subsequent recovery decrease significantly with age.

Complications and Recovery

Prior to Erin and Abby's surgery, there had been 24 similar operations at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, involving around 30 specialists. In the case of the craniopagus twins, the surgeons almost lost Abby due to excessive bleeding after she was separated from her sister. Due to the nature of their connection, Erin inherited Abby's sagittal sinus. The sagittal sinus is responsible for draining blood from the brain and skull bones. This affected the speed of Abby's recovery in the following four months after the surgery.

Both girls were placed in an induced coma for a week after the separation to aid the healing of their affected brain tissues. Erin emerged from the coma first, and her mother, Heather, was allowed to hold her for the first time. "I can't even begin to describe the emotions that overcame me in that moment," Heather wrote on her website. "I had dreamed of this moment since learning about my pregnancy, and here, the nurse was allowing me to experience it." Abby was brought out of the coma a couple of hours after Erin regained consciousness. The biggest post-operative complication could have been the infection of the operated area of the brain. To prevent this, the medical staff literally flushed Erin's brain once and Abby's brain twice. Since then, Abby has been recovering faster than her sister. Abby experienced brain bleeding, three respiratory viruses, blood infection, and other complications that made discharge seem impossible.

Current Progress and Future

Erin was discharged from the hospital on October 1, 2017, while Abby remains in the hospital. However, her parents hope to bring her home for the Christmas holidays. Both twins are undergoing rehabilitation therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy to learn skills that were previously inaccessible due to their conjoined condition. Currently, Erin can sit independently for 10-15 seconds, lift her head, reach for toys, and roll over onto her stomach. Abby has also learned to lift her head and roll onto her stomach from one side. According to reports, in the next few years, the sisters will undergo plastic and reconstructive surgery to replace some of the missing skull bones.

"Heather stated, "The girls are our inspiration. As parents, Riley and I sit in the front row and watch in awe as our daughters overcome these incredible obstacles. We can't wait to see what the future holds for Erin and Abby." Conjoined twins fused at the top of the skull are known as craniopagus twins. Estimates suggest that two to six percent of conjoined twins fall into the category of craniopagus, making them the rarest group. Conjoined twins are predominantly female, and craniopagus twins are always genetically identical and of the same sex. Due to the complexity of their connection, only some craniopagus twins manage to survive. Approximately 40% of cases result in stillbirth, and another 33% die shortly after birth, usually due to developmental abnormalities or internal organ failure. However, reports indicate that 25% of craniopagus twins survive and are able to be separated. Advances in brain imaging and neurosurgical techniques have improved the chances of successful separation surgeries.

Strong-spirit

Jodie Francis	Hawa Abdi	Lonnie Bissonnette
Yan Jianbin	David Barwell	Tres Johnson