Health · Healthcare & Policy · 1 hr ago
Surgery begins to separate Tanzanian twins joined at the pelvis
A Saudi team began surgery to separate conjoined twins in Riyadh.
The twins, Laitiyens and Lovens, are from Tanzania and are two years and two months old.
They are joined at the pelvis and share parts of the lower intestine, spine and spinal cord, making the operation complex.
Doctors spent several months preparing them with a skin-stretching procedure.
The operation is planned in nine stages and is expected to take about 15 hours, with 44 medical and nursing staff involved.
The team estimates a 70% chance of success.
This is the Saudi program’s 75th separation operation, and its fourth involving twins from Tanzania; the operation is now under way.
A Saudi medical and surgical team began an operation to separate Tanzanian twins joined at the pelvis and hips in Riyadh.
The twins, named Laityeins and Lovens, are two years and two months old.
They share the lower intestine, spine, lumbar vertebrae and spinal cord, and have four lower limbs.
The operation is planned in nine stages and is expected to take about 15 hours.
A team of 44 medical and nursing staff is involved, and the estimated chance of success is 70%.
- Who
- Tanzanian twins Laityeins and Lovens, and a medical and surgical team from the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
- What
- The team began an operation to separate the twins, who are joined at the pelvis and hips.
- When
- The operation began on the morning of October 29, 2026.
- Where
- King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The twins arrived in Saudi Arabia.
The medical team carried out detailed examinations and held specialist meetings to assess the twins and plan the separation.
The twins underwent skin expansion to prepare them for the separation.
The medical and surgical team began the separation operation in Riyadh.
- Age
- Two years and two months
- Location
- King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, Riyadh
- Operation plan
- Nine stages; about 15 hours
- Team
- 44 medical, nursing and technical staff
- Estimated success rate
- 70%
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What people are saying
The twins are joined at the pelvis and hips and have four lower limbs, and they share the lower part of the intestine, the spine, the lumbar vertebrae and the spinal cord.