Doctors Move Up Date to Separate Siamese Twins
Surgeons will separate conjoined twins Shawna and Janelle Roderick on May 30--much earlier than previously anticipated--because of the girls’ excellent health, doctors announced Tuesday at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
The twins were born May 1, joined at the abdomen and sharing liver tissue.
Medical tests have shown that the girls share no common internal organs, except for the tissue of two completely separate livers, each with its own bile duct, said Anita Rockwell-Hayden, a Loma Linda spokeswoman.
Doctors also have determined that because their infant skin is so elastic, there is no need to implant balloons to stretch their skin to accommodate the separation as previously planned, she said.
The girls’ parents, Jeff and Michelle Roderick, said they were relieved that the separation surgery will be performed earlier than anticipated.
“We were a bit concerned about the idea of taking them home with us [to Michelle’s parents’ home at Lake Havasu City],” said Jeff Roderick. “The idea of caring for them [until separation] was a bit overwhelming.”
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