Conjoined Twins Reach New Milestones After Doctors Perform 24-Hour Surgery to Separate Their Heads
Months of planning and about 30 specialists made the rare craniopagus separation possible, and the girls are now undergoing rehabilitation and follow-up surgeries.
- On Friday, September 18, 2026, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital announced the successful separation of 2-year-old Ethiopian conjoined twins Hiyab and Wuhbto after a complex surgical procedure.
- Born in Ethiopia as craniopagus twins joined at the head, the sisters traveled to St. Louis in 2025 via the World Pediatric Project after visa complications prevented their parents from accompanying them.
- Dr. Joanna Kemp, a pediatric neurosurgeon, led a team of nearly 30 specialists during the grueling 25-hour operation in February, becoming the first woman neurosurgeon in American history to complete such a separation.
- The twins are currently receiving rehabilitation at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital; Wuhbto recently underwent successful cranioplasty to repair her skull, while Hiyab awaits a similar procedure this fall.
- Hospital officials hope to send the girls home to Ethiopia in the near future, marking a rare conclusion for a condition occurring in just one out of roughly 2.5 million live births.
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The procedure, which lasted more than 24 hours, separated two little girls who were fused together at the head at an American children's hospital.
BRIEFLY: Doctors in St. Louis have successfully separated two-year-old Ethiopian twins who were born conjoined at the head. After months of complex surgeries, the final, nearly 25-hour procedure was completed, doctors said Wednesday. One of the biggest challenges was separating the extensive network of veins around their fused skulls that Hijab and Wuhbto shared. The final surgery was performed in February, but the doctors waited until months af…
In a historical intervention, twins from Ethiopia, who had grown together on the head, were successfully separated.
The surgery lasted more than 24 hours, while its preparation required over 300 hours of work.
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