Addison (Addy) and Lilianna (Lily) Altobelli, 10-month-old conjoined twins, were successfully separated by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) surgeons on October 13, 2021, after almost a year in intensive care at the hospital. The girls were born joined at the abdomen and chest, a condition known as thoraco-omphalopagus twins, which means they shared a liver, diaphragm, chest, and abdominal wall. They are now back in Chicago.
Maggie and Dom Altobelli found out they were having conjoined twins during a 20-week ultrasound appointment after thinking they were just having one baby. ‘I was trying to find out the gender of one baby I thought we were having and then it turned out to be a little more complicated. It was an out of body experience. It’s like, ‘What do you mean their stomachs are connected? Is this even a thing?’ Maggie said.
According to the statement, specialists at CHOP found that the twins were suitable candidates for separation since they each had distinct healthy hearts and a large enough liver to divide between them.
They were born on November 18, 2020, and spent four months in the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit before being transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where Addison and Lilianna had skin expanders inserted to prepare them for surgery.
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The twins were successfully separated following a 10-hour surgery over a year later, on October 13, 2021, and their parents saw them unconnected for the first time. ‘To see them with their own bodies – their bodies were just so perfect – it was amazing’, Maggie said.
Maggie and Dom travelled back to Chicago on December 1, 2021. They stayed in the Lurie Children’s Hospital for two weeks before being discharged just before the holidays. ‘This is our journey. It’s a very special one in many ways. These girls are going to live long, healthy lives. It’s pretty miraculous and unbelievable that we’re living this life’, Maggie added.
According to peer-reviewed research published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, conjoined twins occur occasionally in every 50,000 to 200,000 births. About 60% of conjoined twin pregnancies end in stillbirth (the loss of a baby before birth), while 60% of separated conjoined twins survive the surgery.
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