Conjoined twins were successfully separated last week during a complex 26-hour surgery at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston that involved 12 surgeons separating the girls at their chest.
Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata remained in the pediatric intensive care unit of the hospital as they continued to recover from the surgery,
the hospital said in a statement. They were born last April joined at the chest, sharing a chest wall, lungs, a lining of the heart, diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis.
Dr. Darrell Cass, pediatric surgeon and co-director of Texas Children's Fetal Center, said this was the first such operation for "thoraco-omphalo-ischiopagus twins with this particular configuration" that went successfully.
"This surgery was not without its challenges with the girls sharing several organ systems," said Cass. "Our team has been preparing for this surgery for months and we've done everything from working with our radiology experts to build a 3-D model of their organs, to conducting simulations of the actual separation surgery."
The girls' mother Elysse Matta, told
KTRK-TV last month that she believed the surgery would be successful and would give her girls an opportunity live separately.
"I want them to have a shot at having a normal life," said Elysse Matta. "I'm looking forward of just going home and dressing them in tutus and bows and pink and purple and ribbon and I'm just excited."
She thanked the doctors after the surgery, reported
KHOU-TV, adding that she understood the risk complexity involved in pulling off the marathon surgery.
"We are so grateful to all the surgeons and everyone who cared for our daughters and gave them the incredible chance to live separate lives," said Elyssa Mata. "We know how much planning and time went into this surgery and we are so blessed to be at a place like Texas Children's where we have access to the surgeons and caretakers that have made this dream a reality."
The hospital said that the girls will stay at Texas Children's under the care of a team of doctors and no discharge date has been determined. The family has established a
GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses for the girls.
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