Syrian ‘Siamese’ twins flown to Riyadh
The conjoined twins, Celine and Eleen Abdulmoneim Alshibli, were flown from Beirut airport to Riyadh with their family on board the Saudi Ministry of Defence’s aeromedical evacuation aircraft, a Gulfstream…
December 29, 2024
The conjoined twins, Celine and Eleen Abdulmoneim Alshibli, were flown from Beirut airport to Riyadh with their family on board the Saudi Ministry of Defence’s aeromedical evacuation aircraft, a Gulfstream G5 registered HZ-MS5A.
The twins were transferred to the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City, under the Ministry of National Guard. They will undergo medical assessment to evaluate their condition and to determine the possibility of performing a surgical separation operation. The Saudi government is covering all costs for the twins and their families, including transportation, medical care, and housing.
Saudi Arabia has a long-standing programme for separating conjoined twins and has been a leader in the field since the programme’s inception in 1990. The Saudi Conjoined Twins Program is led by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah and run by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief).
The programme has already performed 61 separation surgeries on conjoined twins from 26 countries, making significant technological advancements, including the use of argon lasers, ultrasonic knives, and new electric coatings to reduce bleeding. Another set of Syrian conjoined twins, Ihsan and Bessem Salih, were airlifted from Türkiye to Saudi Arabia for surgery last year as part of Riyadh’s humanitarian aid programme.
Saudi Arabia hosted the first International Conference on Conjoined Twins, which focused on building global partnerships to support conjoined twins and their families, and has proposed an international day to celebrate conjoined twins and raise awareness about the importance of research and medical efforts. The Saudi programme has also focused on early detection, and now has the ability to detect conjoined twins as early as 8- 10 weeks into a pregnancy.
