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Conjoined Twins Separated At Children's Hospital

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Feb 16, 2009 10:41 pm US/Eastern

Conjoined Twins Separated At Children's Hospital

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Doctors at Children's Hospital are celebrating the successful separation of two-year-old conjoined twins.

Catherine Nickson, 26, of Cleveland, brought her daughters, Danielle and Dagian Lee to Pittsburgh to have the surgery.

The twins were connected at the chest bone through the groin. They each had one leg and they shared one leg.

They also shared a colon and their livers were connected.

Doctors knew there was a lot of work to be done. The procedure took 24 hours.

"It was the longest day in the world – that's what I call it but, it was a day before their birthday so that was their birthday present," Nickson said.

"It's probably been only 20 in the world of this type that have been separated so it's something that none of us will probably do again," said Dr. Timothy Kane.

Once the girls were separated, they were taken into individual rooms for eight hours of reconstructive surgery.

"The were attached by the upper chest but by no major structures in the chest so basically had their ribcages where they were conjoined," Dr. Kane said. "Their liver was connected in the middle but did not share any major blood supply or bile ducts, so coming through that was fairly straight forward."

It took 18 months to plan the surgery but it will change the lives of Danielle and Dagian forever.

Life won't be the same for their mother or older sister either.

"I want them to have the best life they can possibly have," Nickson said. "And I've always read books of conjoined twins that they don't make it or they'll live to be like seven and one dies and the other one dies like five hours later – I didn't want that to happen.

"I wanted to have three kids – not two or one," she added. 

Doctors say things look good for the girls' future, but they do need one more procedure done in the immediate future, a skin graft, and then rehab.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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