Siamese twins result from the faulty division of a fertilized egg. Most are stillborn or miscarried early in pregnancy. Those born alive can undergo elaborate separation operations. Treatments are successful when the twins have few organs in common. Check how many Siamese twins can survive.
Siamese twins - why are babies born fused?
Siamese twins (conjoined twins) are born due to a genetic error that results from incomplete division of a fertilized egg. Conjoined twins are always identical twins, and they arise when the fertilized egg begins to divide late, that is, after 13 days after fertilization. Two identical groups of cells don't separate completely, and the later they start dividing, the more twins will have organs in common.
Separating Siamese twins is a complicated procedure, and the risk of failure increases when the separated individuals share internal systems or body parts.
How long do Siamese twins live?
Often, Siamese twins are either stillborn or miscarried early in pregnancy. The percentage of stillbirths, premature births is estimated from 40 to 86%. It is difficult to accurately estimate this number because the most frequent occurrence of a genetic defect has been noted in India and African countries, and these do not keep accurate statistics.
It is estimated that in Europe the frequency of developing a disturbed multiple pregnancy in this way is 1: 33,000, but the births of viable twins occur less frequently, once per 100,000. birthday. Depending on whether individual individuals have the appropriate number of internal organs, attempts are made to separate them, others survive for many years without undergoing surgery.
The most famous Siamese twins
Although the first depictions of conjoined twins come from Anatolia and date back to 6500 BC, the name of the defect comes from those 19th-century brothers from Siam (today Thailand) who earned money and gained popularity by displaying their otherness. The brothers Chang and Eng were born in 1811 and lived, separated, for 63 years. They married the daughters of a pastor from CarolinaNorthern and they had 22 he althy children. When one brother suffered a fatal stroke, the other refused to separate from his brother and died several hours later.
Siamese twins in Poland
The most famous Polish Siamese twins are Daria and Olga from Janikowo, fused with, among others, part of the spine. The girls were born in 2003, and the separation operation was performed in 2005, thanks to the support of the King of Saudi Arabia, who financed the procedure and medical care at a Saudi clinic. The separation was successful and both girls can function independently.
In January 2014, another Siamese twins were born in Warsaw. The brothers were separated on the day after they were born. The boys were fused with bellies, and the operation included, among others, separation of the intestinal loops and urinary tract.
Types of Siamese twins
The types of connections of twins' bodies are different and the possible ability of siblings to function separately depends on the degree of fusion. Children fused with the chest, diaphragm and epigastric region may share common components of the digestive system, liver and heart. Twins fused with the epigastrium, navel and xiphoid process may share common elements of the urinary, digestive, liver and biliary systems. Babies fused with buttocks, coccyx, and sacrum are likely to share a common nervous, urinary, and digestive system. Twins fused with a skull and venous sinuses have a connected nervous system.
Conjoined twins are divided into two groups:
- symmetrical (diplopagus),
- asymmetric (heteropagus).
Symmetrical conjoined twins are usually the abdominal, sacro-lumbar or head parts. In the case of asymmetrical twins, one of the individuals is smaller and dependent on the other. It is sometimes called a parasitic fetus or a parasite.