Rare medical feat: Iraqi team delivers conjoined twins

Shafaq News/ A medical team in Kirkuk has successfully performed a rare caesarean section for conjoined (thoracopagus) twins sharing a single heart, the province’s health department announced on Tuesday.

Arjan Mohammed Rashid, director general of the health department, confirmed that the surgery was carried out at the Maternity and Children’s Hospital, with both the mother and twins in stable condition afterward. “This was a highly complex case that demanded meticulous monitoring throughout the pregnancy to ensure the best possible outcome for both the mother and her babies,” he stated.

Conjoined thoracopagus twins—fused at the chest and sharing vital organs such as the heart—are extremely rare. Lead surgeon Suzan Wahbi explained that such cases occur in roughly one in every 50,000 to 200,000 births.

A procedure of this nature requires extensive planning and coordination among multiple medical teams to maximize the chances of survival. Statistics indicate that 40-60% of conjoined twin pregnancies result in stillbirth, while only about 25% of those born survive.