Conjoined twins ‘Siamese twins’ is a condition where two people with the same mother are born at the same time, with some part of their bodies joined together.
In December last year, 30 year old single mother Anastasie Kanakuze from Huye District gave birth to Diane and Liliane perilously joined at the abdomen, but in perfect health conditions. The twin daughters shared a liver, umbilicus and some part of small bowels.
Kanakuze who resides in Huye gave birth in University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB). Her pregnancy was unremarkable besides episodes of dizziness, according to doctors.
In Past days, IGIHE Reporter visited these twin daughters in CHUB, where they showed good health. Unfortunately, one of the two girls got seriously sick due to non-functional lungs, to the extent that the doctors had to keep her on breathing machines for her to live.
Speaking to the press, Dr. Tharcisse Ngambe, a pediatrician, said “CHUB referred the Siamese twins for further management at Oshen King Faisal Hospital, when they observed that one of the twins was quickly deteriorating despite treatment. She developed multi-organ failure unresponsive to treatment.”
A decision was made to separate them in an effort to save Diane.
According to Dr Nkusi Emmy from King Faisal Hospital, doctors said surgery could allow Diane to have a normal life. As Lilian’s lungs were non-functional, she would not have survived once she was separated from Diane.
By Monday, 29th June 2018, a team of physicians and nurses led by Dr. Edmond Ntaganda, a Pediatric surgeon, Dr. Didace Mugisa, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Dr Rosemary Mukunzi, an anesthesiologist, who had rehearsed for the delicate surgery separated the conjoined twin girls so to save one of them.
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