Saturday March 7, 2026
Riyadh (HOL) — A Saudi medical team has successfully separated 13-month-old Somali conjoined twins in a complex 14-hour surgery at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh, officials said Thursday.
The twins, Rahma and Ramla, were joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis. The separation procedure was carried out in eight stages and involved a multidisciplinary team of 36 consultants, specialists and technicians across pediatric surgery, anesthesia, urology, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery.
Doctors had previously warned that the case posed significant medical challenges. The twins shared a pelvis, large intestine and rectum, as well as parts of their urinary and reproductive systems. Although each child had two fully formed legs, both faced serious kidney complications.
Medical assessments showed that Ramla had complete kidney failure and would require dialysis following the procedure. Rahma had one non-functioning kidney and another affected by fluid buildup, though it remained operational.
Because of these conditions, the estimated success rate of the surgery had been put at 40 percent. Despite those risks, surgeons were able to separate the girls safely.
The twins were flown to Saudi Arabia in May last year after King Salman ordered their transfer for medical evaluation and potential treatment.
Al-Rabeeah said the procedure marked the 68th successful separation performed under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program. Over the past 35 years, the program has treated 156 sets of conjoined twins from 28 countries.
