Four appendages, three limbs - These conjoined twins could recline for three consecutive years.
Thanks to a complicated procedure, the conjoined twins are now able to sit and move with a bit more independence. This is detailed in the US medical journal "American Journal of Case Reports," which is discussing the case to highlight the significance of orthopedic interventions in enhancing quality of life.
These twin boys, born in 2018, spent their first three years lying down due to their shared umbilicus, bladder, penis, rectum, and bowel. This specific type of connection, known as Ischiopagus tripus, is incredibly rare - only one in two million births experience it.
In order to grant the infants some freedom of movement, the third leg - which they could move equally - was amputated. Additionally, the hips and pelvis were reconstructed using screws and plates, enabling them to sit and potentially even stand at some point in the future.
Interestingly, female conjoined twins occur three times more frequently than male conjoined twins. Unfortunately, around two-thirds pass away either before birth or soon after. The Indonesian twins falling under this category are among the few who have survived.
How do these cases develop?
When it comes to monozygotic, or identical, twin pregnancies, the single egg usually splits completely into two separate embryos after fertilization. These twins then develop independently. Conjoined twins, however, experience an incomplete division process, causing the twins to remain connected and share certain organs and body parts.
However, there is a different mechanism that can result in conjoined twins as well. This entails two distinct embryos joining and fusing at a later stage of development, resulting in a connection between the twins in certain areas of the body.
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Source: symclub.org
