Conjoined twins separated

San Jose Mercury News

PALO ALTO, Calif.

Stanford surgeons have successfully separated conjoined twins Angelica and Angelina Sabuco on Tuesday afternoon, after eight hours of surgery.

“The surgeons are happy with the progress of the operation so far,” said Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital spokeswoman Reena Mukamal.

The 2-year-old sisters were moved into separate operating rooms for reconstructive surgery — the first time in their brief lives they have ever been apart.

Without the procedure, the San Jose, Calif., twins — fused at their liver — would have faced a troubled future, with curved spines, muscle problems and the emotional challenges of intimately shared lives.

A team of 20 doctors and nurses participated in the delicate procedure, which is performed about six times a years in the U.S.

Reconstructive surgery is needed to rebuild the girls’ chest and abdominal walls.

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