Surgeons Successfully Seperate Twin Boys Joined At The Head

After 16 hours of surgery, 13-month-old twin boys Jaden and Anias McDonald congenitally joined at the head have been successfully separated.

Forty medical experts at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York worked from Thursday morning till 2am on Friday to separate the boys.





The separation procedure itself lasted 16 hours, followed by more hours of surgery to rebuild their skulls and make them whole. Led by pediatric neurosurgeon Dr James Goodrich, the team used high-tech imaging systems to help fully detach the boys’ skull and brain tissue.

The brothers underwent a string of medical tests before the surgery and a GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the treatment.

 

 

Dr James Goodrich and Nicole McDonald with the Twins before the surgery

On her Facebook post, mother of the kids Nicole McDonald wrote: “TWO SEPARATE BABIES!!!…and yet I ache with the uncertainty of the future. I didn’t cry until the surgeons left the room. 

I was barely able to even utter the words ‘thank you’ because of the pit that still sits heavy in my stomach. 

We are standing on the brink of a vast unknown. The next few months will be critical in terms of recovery and we will not know for sure how Anias and Jadon are recovering for many weeks.”

The twins also underwent skull reconstruction on Friday and will be incubated for around a week while being monitored.