A remarkable medical achievement has taken place at a St. Louis children’s hospital, where a team of specialists successfully separated two-year-old conjoined twins. Hiyab and Wuhbto, born in Ethiopia, have a rare condition called craniopagus, which involves being joined at the head.
Such cases account for less than 6% of all conjoined twin occurrences, according to the National Library of Medicine, and appear once in approximately every 2.5 million live births.
“Leaving them conjoined posed significant risks to their long-term health,” explained the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in a news release.
The twins traveled from Ethiopia to Missouri in 2025, accompanied by a guardian, as their parents were unable to secure visas. A dedicated team of nearly 30 medical professionals spent close to a year devising the complex operation plan.
The actual procedure in February took 25 hours and involved meticulously separating their shared blood vessels. Dr. Joanna Kemp, leading the surgical team and recognized as the first female neurosurgeon in the United States to perform such a surgery, noted, “Their brains were mostly separate, though a few small areas were fused.”
After the operation, Kemp remarked on the profound moment when the twins were separated, even if only a few feet apart.
Following their historic separation, Wuhbto has undergone successful cranioplasty to repair her skull, and Hiyab is expected to have a similar surgery soon. Both girls are receiving continued care and rehabilitation at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.
The hospital hopes to reunite the twins with their family in Ethiopia soon as they reach significant milestones in their recovery.