Conjoined twins brave historic surgery

LALEH BIJANI wants her sister Ladan’s face to be the first thing she sees after surgeons complete a historic operation next month to separate the twins who were born joined at the head.

The 29-year-old sisters have spent every moment of their lives together, but have never seen the other's face directly, they said yesterday.

"To see each other after the operation face-to-face," Laleh said, answering a question about what she is most looking forward to immediately after the surgery.

"We want to see each other without the mirror," Ladan agreed.

Doctors have warned the surgery could kill one or both of the sisters, or leave them brain dead.

But after years of trying to persuade surgeons to operate, the twins say they are prepared to take the risks.

The operation will mark the first time surgeons have tried to separate adult craniopagus twins siblings born joined at the head.

"We hope the surgery is going to be successful. We feel happy, excited and a little bit nervous, especially me," Ladan said.

The Bijani sisters, born in Tehran in 1974, have separate brains that lie next to each other in a joined skull. Their heads are also connected, but their bodies are otherwise distinct.

The procedure will require a team of 12 surgeons and about 100 nurses and could take up to four days.