Chinese doctors separate conjoined twins

Doctors have successfully separated conjoined twin girls after a six-hour surgery in a Chinese hospital.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported today that doctors separated An An and Xin Xin yesterday at the Shanghai Children’s Medical Centre.

The twins were born in April with connected livers and hearts.

The report said doctors separated their organs, reshaped their ribs and reconstructed their chest with titanium-alloy plates.

The babies are in stable condition, but are relying on a breathing machine and will require intensive care treatment.

In May, conjoined twin girls with one body and two heads were born in the south western Chinese province of Sichuan. Doctors say it will be difficult to separate them.