Eight-day old conjoined twin girls have undergone a five-hour operation to separate them at a Swiss hospital in Bern.
The twins, who were born premature at 32 weeks, could be the youngest babies ever to be successfully parted according to Bern University Hospital.
They were fused at the chest and ‘extensively conjoined on the liver, but had all vital organs’ and were operated on by a team of 13 medical professionals including five surgeons, itv.com reports.
According to the hospital, the girls named Lydia and Maya, were born on December 2nd as part of a triplet – the other baby was separate and healthy.
They only weighed 1.1.kg (2lbs,4oz) each and the decision to operate on December 10th was taken because of concerns over their blood supply and high blood pressure.
“The perfect teamwork of physicians and nursing personal from various disciplines were the key to success here. We are very happy that the children and parents are faring so well now,” said Steffen Berger, Head of the Department of Paediatric Surgery.
Maya and Lydia needed further operations to close their abdominal walls but are now recovering in the paediatric intensive care unit.
According to local media the girls are still doing well and have started to breastfeed and put on weight.
In the past 30 years conjoined twins were only born and successfully separated two other times in Switzerland, according to the hospital.