Twin sisters who spent the first 19 months of their lives joined at the skull were\u00a0successfully separated in a stunning string of\u00a0AI-assisted\u00a0surgeries \u2014 and are now happy and thriving toddlers turning three.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mercy and Goodness were born in Nigeria\u2019s Ekiti State in June 2023, with fused skulls, shared brain tissue and blood vessels, according to Gemini Untwined<\/a>, the UK charity that focuses on craniopagus twins.<\/p>\n At six months old, the\u00a0conjoined twins\u00a0were referred to Professor Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a pediatric neurosurgeon at London\u2019s Great Ormond Street Hospital and founder of the charity.<\/p>\n Mercy and Goodness were born fused at the skull. Gemini Untwined<\/p>\n At six months old, they were referred to the Gemini Untwined charity. Gemini Untwined<\/p>\n Jeelani arranged for the twins and their parents to be brought to the UK, with the organization funding the entire treatment.<\/p>\n What followed in 2025 was one of the most complex surgical undertakings<\/a> in modern medicine<\/p>\n The separation required four meticulously planned procedures\u00a0over four months\u00a0totaling 40 hours in the operating room.<\/p>\n More than 60 healthcare professionals from 20 countries spent months preparing, using artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 3D modeling and augmented reality to map every shared blood vessel and piece of interconnected brain tissue.<\/p>\n The final 12-hour surgery to separate the sisters <\/a>took place at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi and was led by Professor Jeelani, who was assisted by 12 other top surgeons.<\/p>\n Against all odds, the girls not only survived but made full recoveries and\u00a0are now\u00a0celebrating their third birthdays in\u00a0Nigeria\u00a0and\u00a0their family.<\/p>\n The series of operations to separate the girls involved dozens of surgeons from several countries. Gemini Untwined<\/p>\n The ecstatic parents hold the girls after their successful separation. Gemini Untwined<\/p>\n The organisation is the only charity in the world dedicated solely to treating craniopagus twins and has now successfully completed nine such separations. <\/p>\n \u201cThe separation of Goodness and Mercy is a landmark case planned and executed with a level of precision not encountered before,\u201d Professor Jaleeni told the BBC.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBuilding on the experience of our previous eight cases, and using novel techniques and strategies, we were able to give these girls and their family a new future.\u201d<\/p>\n The twins are now 3 years old and are happy and healthy in Nigeria. Gemini Untwined<\/p>\n Craniopagus twins are very rare, with only 5% of conjoined twins being joined at the top of the head. <\/p>\n