MIRACLE: Youngest Ever Conjoined Twins Separated

The World's youngest conjoined twins have been successfully separated after a five-hour operation in Bern, Switzerland.  Maya, Lydia and their triplet sister, Kamilla, who was not joined to them, were born eight weeks prematurely. The babies were joined at the chest and liver and weighed just 14lb 14 oz together when they entered the operating theatre at just eight days old. Incredibly, the procedure, carried out by 13 surgeons, had only a one per cent chance of success.

"Such small conjoined siblings had never been successfully separated before," said the hospital.

Head of paediatric surgery, Steffen Berger added: "The perfect teamwork of physicians and nursing personnel from various disciplines were the key to success here. We are very happy that the children and parents are faring so well now." According to Le Matin Dimanche newspaper, the pair are putting on weight and breastfeeding. They join the ranks of 200 separated conjoined twins worldwide.

"We were prepared for the death of both babies, it was so extreme," Barbara Wildhaber, head of the paediatric surgery unit at the Geneva University Hospital told Le Matin Dimanche. "It was magnificent! I will remember it my entire career," she added.

Image: Inselspital Bern hospital