After a more than 24-hour operation, twins conjoined at the head successfully separated

A medical team at a pediatric hospital in St. Louis, United States, has successfully completed an extremely complex intervention, separating two two-year-old twin girls who were conjoined at the head.

Hiyab and Wuhbto were born in Ethiopia and were connected to each other in the skull area.

The intervention lasted more than 24 hours and involved over 60 professionals, including pediatric neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, and intensive care specialists. According to estimates, this is one of the rarest and most complex operations performed in pediatric surgery.

After separation, the girls continue to receive intensive treatment and rehabilitation. Wuhbto has also successfully undergone another operation for skull reconstruction, while Hiyab is expected to undergo the same procedure later in the fall.

The twins were brought from Ethiopia to the United States in 2025, shortly before celebrating their first birthday. The hospital emphasizes that conjoined twins at the head are extremely rare and occur about once in 2.5 million births.