Alex and Angel Mendoza
Conjoined Twins
Alex and Angel Mendoza Conjoined Twins
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Alex and Angel Mendoza, who lived as conjoined twins since mid August 2008, were successfully separated by surgeons at Phoenix Children's Hospital on January 15.
The boys were born at Good Samaritan Hospital, Phoenix on August 13, 2008.
They were delivered two months early after doctors found there wasn't enough amniotic fluid supporting them
It took a team of more than 20 surgeons, 18 hours to separate the twins.
The twin boys were joined from just below their sternums down to their pelvises. The twins also had a shared liver which made the surgery more complicated.
At present, the twins are doing fine but still have several operations in their future.
The parents of the children were extremely relieved and happy that the babies survived the procedure.
"It's going to be interesting to see how they do being separated now because they're so used to being together and having somebody to slap in the face," laughed Frank, the mother of the twins.
Pediatric surgeon Stuart Lacey said surgeons also had to monitor and ensure that both the babies were carrying out bodily functions as their blood supply was also shared. He gave credit for the success of the operation to the radiologists' who had done intense study of 3-D images of the boys. These images ensured the surgeons that the babies could carry their own weight separately.
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