Video: Conjoined twins separated in 4 complex surgeries by Abu Dhabi hospital

Two Nigerian girls who spent the first 15 months of their lives joined at the head are now living independently after undergoing a complex separation surgery in Abu Dhabi, hospital officials revealed this week.

The operation, which was carried out at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) about two years ago but has only now been publicly announced, involved four surgeries over six months and a multinational team of more than 60 doctors, surgeons and clinicians.

Mercy and Goodness were born with their skulls fused together and with intertwined brain tissue and blood vessels, a rare condition known as craniopagus twinning that is considered among the most difficult challenges in paediatric neurosurgery.

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After the final operation, the sisters were able to see each other face-to-face for the first time.

Medical teams from the UAE, UK, Brazil and Nigeria, worked on the case, using advanced imaging, virtual reality planning, and 3D-printing technology to map the girls’ shared anatomy before surgery.

Abu Dhabi Media Office shared a video of the twins before and after the surgery. Watch here:

The procedures were led by Professor Noor Ul Owase Jeelani, founder of Gemini Untwined and a consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.

According to the medical team, the twins underwent reconstruction of their skulls using custom-made 3D-printed titanium implants following the separation.

The girls completed rehabilitation in the UAE and have since returned home to Nigeria with their family.

Officials said the operation was the first successful separation of craniopagus twins carried out in the Gulf region.

Professor Jeelani described the case as one of the most complex undertaken by the international team, requiring extensive planning and collaboration across multiple medical specialties.

Craniopagus twins are among the rarest forms of conjoined twins, accounting for only a small fraction of cases worldwide. Because they often share blood vessels and brain structures, separation surgeries can take months or even years of preparation and carry significant risks.