In an extremely rare case, conjoined twins were born in Indonesia with four arms, three legs and also share genitals. These twins are scientifically called ischiopagus tripus and are one in a two million phenomenon. Only a handful of conjoined twins, also known as “spider twins,” have been documented: the case of an Indonesian boy was published in the American Journal of Case Reports. The twins were born in 2018, but the case was published last week.
Extremely Rare conjoined ‘spider twins’
“The rarity of conjoined twins with ischiopagus tripus complicates surgical separation due to lack of cases and high complexity,” the authors wrote in the American Journal of Case Reports.
They are defined as people connected by the lower half of the body and not the upper torso.
In more than 60 percent of these cases, one of the twins dies or is stillborn. But fortunately, these little ones survived. However, the brothers had to remain lying down for the first three years because their special body structure prevented them from sitting up.
The surgeons amputated their third leg, which often consists of two fused legs, and stabilized their hips and legs so the two could sit upright independently, the case report says.
Three months after the surgery, a follow-up appointment revealed that the twins had suffered no complications.
Will doctors separate the conjoined twins?
The conjoined brothers were not separated and it is unclear whether doctors will perform such a complicated surgery.
However, doctors say that the case highlights that “there is still room for surgical correction to be performed” in cases where separation is not possible.
Such birth occurs when the embryo only partially separates to form two individuals due to a congenital birth defect, according to the Mayo Clinic.
As babies develop from this embryo, they remain physically attached, usually “often at the chest, abdomen or pelvis”.