Hospitals Magazine: Algerian Conjoined Twins Safaa and Chifaa Get Their Own Bodies in Türkiye

Press coverage — originally published by Hospitals Magazine.

The patients

Safaa and Chifaa were five months old when they arrived in Istanbul from Algeria on 15 December 2021. They were joined from the chest to the abdomen, sharing the pericardium and liver. Chifaa also had hydrocephalus.

Months of preparation

• A team of around 100 healthcare professionals at Acıbadem University Atakent Hospital worked on the case.
• A 3D computer model of the twins' organs was used for simulations and virtual surgery.
• A shunt was placed first to treat Chifaa's hydrocephalus.
• From February 2022, skin expansion created enough tissue to close the chest walls after separation — the reconstructive side of the plan.

The operation

On 6 June 2022 the twins were separated in a 9-hour operation, followed by about four months of close care in hospital.

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