Toddler Born As A Conjoined Twin Undergoes Rare Surgery
Twenty-two-month-old Ana Paula was born as a conjoined twin in a rural village located in Panama. The two girls were conjoined at the pelvis, and at only 20 days of age, underwent a radical surgery that, tragically, Ana Paula’s sister did not survive. The surgery also left Ana Paula with three legs, three kidneys, two pelvises, and possible reproductive issues.
According to Dr. Kit Song, who is the Chief of Staff for Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles, Ana Paula and her twin’s medical condition is so rare that there are only 12 survivable cases similar to it in the world each year.
Conjoined twins are identical twins that have conjoined in utero. It’s a very rare occurrence, happening in a range of 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births. Approximately half of all conjoined twins conceived are stillborn, and many conjoined twins are born alive but with abnormalities that are considered incompatible to life.
Since the radical surgery that separated Ana Paula from her conjoined twin sister, it was known that she would have to undergo numerous surgeries, including the removal of two of her three legs, as they are non-functional, before she could be fitted with a prosthetic leg.
Dr. Song said, “She will be different than other children, but she will be able to move about and keep up with her peers. Will she be able to run and play like other children, no.”
The type of surgeries and medical care Ana Paula needs, however, is not available in Panama, so a trip to Los Angeles for treatment and surgery was needed. This trip and her medical care was made possible through the combined efforts of the Shriners Hospital for Children and the Children of War Foundation, which managed to secure the money needed not just for Ana Paula’s immediate medical needs, but for the long-term rehabilitative care she will require, as well.
The surgery Ana Paula underwent lasted three hours, and has never been documented in medical textbooks. Her central leg was completely amputated, and then her right leg was partially amputated, then turned so that it pointed down. The purpose behind that decision is the idea that her partial leg can be fitted with a prosthetic in 6 weeks, in the hopes that Ana Paula will walk. There is some concern that another major surgery may be necessary, however, since the child has two pelvises fused together, which may be too wide to allow for walking.
Ana Paula is doing well after her surgery — reportedly all smiles, laughing and even singing. Her plastic surgeon, Dr. John Lorant, referred to her as a “tiger.”
As for Ana Paula’s mom, she simply says that no matter what situation you find yourself in, unconditional love does conquer all.
[Images via Facebook and KTLA 5 News]
