Siamese twins separation operation lasts more than 70 hours

Surgeons are still operating to separate eleven-month-old Siamese twins from Nepal who are joined at the head.

Ganga and Jamuna Shrestha were born joined at the skull with parts of their brains merged.

Surgeons in Singapore have so far been operating for more than 70 hours.

"The operation is still on," said Singapore General Hospital communications manager Ho Lai Fung. "It's a very complex operation. You can hardly estimate the time because when you open things up you find more things to do, so you just go on."

Ho said the girls are still doing fine.

The girls' vital signs have remained stable, and both the surgical and anaesthetic teams are happy with the progress, the hospital said in a statement.

The surgical procedure has been meticulous and paced because of the twins' complex and extensive blood vessel interconnections, the statement said.

Two teams of doctors, including a neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon, have been working around the clock to separate the girls, taking turns with brief breaks. The twins underwent six months of preparation in Singapore before the surgery.

Doctors say Ganga, who has a cleft palate, and Jamuna have very distinct personalities. Ganga is more feisty and is always hungry, while Jamuna is calmer. Although they were born connected, the girls tend to fall asleep and get hungry at different times each day, hospital staff say.