Two-year-old Ethiopian conjoined twins have been successfully separated after a complex 25-hour surgery at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, United States.
The girls, Hiyab and Wuhbto, were born with craniopagus, an extremely rare condition in which twins are joined at the head.
In their case, the sisters were connected while facing in opposite directions. They could hear each other but could not see each other’s faces.
The successful separation was announced by the hospital on Wednesday, months after the operation was performed in February.
Surgeons faced major risks
The high-risk procedure required surgeons to carefully separate blood vessels shared by the twins.
Doctors also had to deal with small areas where the girls’ brains were fused.
Dr Joanna Kemp, who led the surgical team, said the twins’ brains were “mostly separate”, although there were “small areas that were fused” together.
Kemp, the first female neurosurgeon in the United States to perform this type of surgery, described the moment of separation as “quite wild”.
“I think all of us kinda had this moment of pause,” she said.
Nearly 30 medical specialists spent almost a year preparing for the operation, which the hospital described as complex and high-stakes.
According to the National Library of Medicine, craniopagus accounts for less than 6% of all conjoined twin cases and occurs in approximately one in every 2.5 million live births.
Twins travelled from Ethiopia for treatment
Hiyab and Wuhbto were brought from Ethiopia to Missouri in 2025 after doctors determined that remaining joined could pose significant long-term health risks.
Their parents were unable to secure visas to travel to the United States, so the girls travelled with a guardian while their family remained in Ethiopia.
The hospital said the treatment was made possible through a global network of paediatric healthcare providers and charitable organisations.
Twins continue recovery
Following the separation, the sisters moved to Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights, Missouri, where they are undergoing recovery and rehabilitation.
Wuhbto has already undergone a successful cranioplasty to complete the repair of her skull.
Hiyab is expected to undergo a similar procedure later this autumn.
The hospital described their progress as a “major milestone in their surgical journey”.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital told CBS News that it hopes the sisters will be able to return home to their family in Ethiopia in the near future.
