Conjoined twin Jaga separated in marathon surgery at AIIMS in 2017 fit and healthy

BHUBANESWAR:  Conjoined twin Jaga, who was separated in a marathon surgery at AIIMS-New Delhi in 2017, is fit and healthy. The seven-year-old boy has been brought to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack for a scheduled health check-up.

Professor of Neurosurgery Department at AIIMS-Delhi Dr Deepak Kumar Gupta, who was part of the team that had conducted the 20-hour-long surgery on the conjoined twins, examined the health and the brain of the child.

Prior to the investigation by Dr Gupta, an MRI was conducted on Jaga on Friday. He expressed satisfaction over the improvement and held discussions with the treating team of specialists on the future course of treatment.

“The child is absolutely fine and doing normal activities. A significant improvement in his brain has been noticed which is a good sign. The decision on further treatment will be taken after routine health check-ups from time to time. The State government will bear the expenses,” the Health and Family Welfare department said in a statement.

The craniopagus conjoined twins of Kandhamal district were fused at the cranium, which is a very rare condition. Though the conjoined twins occur about every 2 lakh births, craniopagus twins are the rarest form, accounting for about only two per cent of the conjoined twins.

After remaining under treatment for over two years at AIIMS-New Delhi post-surgery, the twins Jaga and Kalia were discharged in September 2019 and admitted to SCB MCH under the observation of a team of specialists.

While Kalia died of septicaemia in the hospital on November 25, 2020, nearly three years after the rare surgery, Jaga was allowed to go home and stay with his parents following improvement in his conditions. The AIIMS had conducted the first vein grafting in the world in Kalia’s brain as the twins had shared only one vein.

The craniopagus surgery was conducted by a team of 125 doctors and paramedical staff led by noted neurosurgeons Prof Ashok Kumar Mahapatra and Dr Gupta. The State government had sanctioned `1 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for their treatment.