Iranian twins die following separation
Both Iranian conjoined twins undergoing surgery to separate them have died.
Laleh and Ladan Bijani had been joined at the head for 29 years, but decided to undergo the risky surgery in order to lead separate lives.
The sisters had separate brains but surgeons came up against unforeseen complications last night when they discovered that the brains had become stuck together.
The huge international medical team at Singapore’s Raffles hospital was able eventually to separate Laleh and Ladan after 53 hours of surgery, but they both lost a large amount of blood during the procedure.
Laleh Bijani died around a hour and a half after her sister Ladan, despite doctors’ best efforts to save them.
Dr Prem Kumar announced Ladan’s death earlier, saying: ‘Doctors attempted to stabilise her but her condition continued to deteriorate.
‘Despite the best efforts of the medical team, Ladan Bijani passed away.’
Iranian government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said that the nation was in ‘deep sorrow’ following the Ladan’s death.
The operation was the first attempt by doctors to separate adult twins joined at the head.
The lengthy procedure began on Sunday. Relatives and friends of the two law graduates gathered at the hospital to hold a prayer vigil during the surgery.
Ladan planned to be a lawyer in her home town of Shiraz, while Laleh wanted to be a journalist in Tehran.
