Conjoined Twins Separated in Groundbreaking Surgery In Peru

Shadya and Shandell were born in Peru in February of this year. They were conjoined twin girls, joined at the abdomen, who shared a liver. Thanks to surgical intervention, which is being hailed by many as a milestone in Peruvian medicine, they have been separated and can now live independent lives. Following an operation that took thirty doctors and nurses over eight hours, the twins had their liver split in two. Since they didn't share any other vital organs the girls should be able to safely live independent of each other.

"The good news is that even though the twins were joined at the liver they didn't share biliary tracts, which means that they had their own bio systems, that was already a plus. The next step was to prepare the time of separation, so that they could each have enough liver for their metabolic needs"- a medical representative told ITN.

Both of the girls are expected to be released from the hospital to the lucky parents in coming days, but both will have to remain under occasional medical monitoring as they grow.