Filipino Conjoined Twins Separated After 6-Hour Surgery In Riyadh
By Arab News
By Rashid Hassan
Filipino conjoined twins Olivia and Gianna Manuel were successfully separated on Thursday after six hours of surgery as doctors completed a complex operation as part of Saudi Arabia’s Conjoined Twins Separation Program.
“The specialized medical team affiliated with the SCTP was able to achieve it by successfully separating the Filipino conjoined twins. The operation was performed at the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, affiliated with the Ministry of the National Guard in Riyadh,” KSrelief told Arab News.
KSrelief Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who heads the medical and surgical team of the program, said: “Thanks to God, and then the efforts of my colleagues and fellow members of the medical and surgical team, the twins were separated six hours after the start of the operation.”
Al-Rabeeah added that the operation was carried out by a team of 22 consultants, specialists, nursing and technical staff, to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and safety during all stages of the operation.
“Following their admission to King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital, the medical team conducted comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and extensive examinations and held a series of multidisciplinary meetings,” he said.
The assessments revealed that the twins were conjoined at the chest and abdomen, sharing a liver and possibly a portion of the intestines, he said.
The examinations also showed that one of the twins was suffering from congenital heart defects, which posed a significant risk.
Al-Rabeeah said that the operation was the fourth to separate conjoined twins from the Philippines and 72nd in the series of operations under the SCTP, which began in 1990 and has covered 28 countries, and provided care for 158 sets of twins from around the world.
He said that that the medical achievement highlighted the humanitarian sentiment of the Saudi leadership and also reflected Saudi medical excellence in line with the objectives of Vision 2030, which aims to develop the health sector in the Kingdom and raise its quality and efficiency.
Olivia and Gianna are the fourth pair of Filipino conjoined twins treated under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program. Ann and Mae Manzo were separated in 2004; Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph in 2024; and Maurice Ann and Klea Misa underwent separation surgery earlier this year.
The twins arrived in Riyadh on Jan. 27 at the age of two years and two months, after being accepted into the program, one of the world’s leading initiatives for the treatment and separation of conjoined twins.
Olivia and Gianna, from Nueva Ecija in the Philippines, were born with a condition known as omphalopagus, where twins are joined at the chest and abdomen.
Ahead of the operation, the twins’ mother, Ginalyn Manuel, said that the family hoped the surgery would allow the girls to enjoy a normal childhood.
She said: “Once they’re finally separated, they’ll be able to move around freely. They’ll be able to run and live a normal life.”
The family expressed their gratitude to King Salman and the crown prince for the high-quality medical care the twins received, and the efforts made by the medical team to ensure the success of the operation.
The twins will remain under medical care in Riyadh following the successful separation, with Gianna expected to undergo additional heart surgery before the family returns to the Philippines.
