Conjoined Twins Separated

In this blog, we typically talk about practical advice for raising healthy and well-rounded children. Occasionally something so big happens at our hospital that we deviate a bit because we want you to know.

Today, Le Bonheur announced that our pediatric surgical team separated conjoined twins Aug. 29. Conjoined twins are very rare and occur in roughly one in every 100,000 pregnancies. The success of this surgery can be attributed to a comprehensive medical team at Le Bonheur that invested months of planning in order to provide the best care for these children.

Joshua and Jacob Spates of Memphis were diagnosed as conjoined twins by a 25-week fetal ultrasound. Their mother was referred to Le Bonheur's Fetal Center,where Medical Director Dr. Giancarlo Mari developed a plan of care and delivered the boys at 34 weeks gestation on Jan. 24 via Caesarean section at The Regional Medical Center. Seven hours later, Pedi-Flite transferred the boys to Le Bonheur's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Each boy was born with multiple congenital anomalies, and they were joined back to back at the pelvis and lower spine, each with separate hearts, heads and limbs. About 15 percent of conjoined twins are connected this way.

For seven months, Le Bonheur pediatric specialists cared for and prepared to separate the boys. During the 13-hour separation surgery, surgeons successfully separated the spinal column bone, nerves and muscles and completed gastrointestinal repairs.

Le Bonheur was positioned to help these boys and countless children because of the collaborative team of medical experts who worked together to find the best solutions.

The Le Bonheur Fetal Center is one of less than 30 fetal centers in the country and the only one in the region focused entirely on babies diagnosed in utero with a congenital anomaly. The center brings together multiple pediatric sub-specialists, along with maternal fetal medicine specialists, to diagnosis and determine the course of treatment for babies both before and after the birth. Through the Fetal Center, parents are connected to the resources they'll need to care for their children.

After birth, the twins' care team included pediatric experts from anesthesia, child life, critical care, general surgery, neonatology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, nursing, plastic surgery and rehabilitation therapy. The surgical team included 34 people. This collaborative care is typical at Le Bonheur. We know we're better when we use the resources and knowledge of many experts. That's why children's hospitals are so important. We're best equipped to care for children and the special needs kids have.

To read more about this extraordinary surgery and hear from the team of professionals who've cared for Joshua and Jacob, visit our online newsroom.