"Siamese twins" redirects here. For other uses, see Siamese twins (disambiguation).
Medical condition
Conjoined twins
Other names
Siamese twins, monstra duplicia
X-ray of conjoined twins, Cephalothoracopagus.
Specialty
Medical genetics
Symptoms
Bodies fused
Complications
Depends on type
Usual onset
Beginning of pregnancy
Duration
Lifelong
Types
see article
Causes
Incomplete fission
Treatment
Surgery, symptomatic care
Prognosis
Depends on type; occasionally may survive
Conjoined twins, popularly referred to as Siamese twins,[1][2] are twins joined in utero.[a] It is a very rare phenomenon, estimated to occur in anywhere between one in 49,000 births to one in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa.[5] Approximately half are stillborn, and an additional one-third die within 24 hours. Most live births are female, with a ratio of 3:1.[5][6]
Two possible explanations of the cause of conjoined twins have been proposed. The one that is generally accepted is fission, in which the fertilized egg splits partially.[7] The other explanation, no longer believed to be accurate,[7] is fusion, in which the fertilized egg completely separates, but stem cells (that search for similar cells) find similar stem cells on the other twin and fuse the twins together. Conjoined twins share a single common chorion, placenta, and amniotic sac in utero, but so do some monozygotic but non-conjoined twins.[8]
Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874) were brothers born in Siam (now Thailand) who traveled widely for many years and were known internationally as the Siamese Twins. Chang and Eng were joined at the torso by a band of flesh and cartilage, and by their fused livers. In modern times, they could easily have been separated.[9] Due to the brothers' fame and the rarity of the condition, the term Siamese twins came to be associated with conjoined twins.
^"conjoined twin". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
^"Medical Definition of Conjoined twin". MedicineNet. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
^Maymon, Ron; Mendelovic, Sonia; Schachter, Morey; Ron-El, Raphael; Weinraub, Zwi; Herman, Arie (September 2005). "Diagnosis of conjoined twins before 16 weeks' gestation: The 4-year experience of one medical center". Prenatal Diagnosis. 25 (9): 839–843. doi:10.1002/pd.1274. PMID 16170850. S2CID 32204640.
^Schiewe, Mitchel C.; Whitney, John B.; Anderson, Robert E. (February 1, 2015). "Potential risk of monochorionic dizygotic twin blastocyst formation associated with early laser zona dissection of group cultured embryos". Fertility and Sterility. 103 (2): 417–421. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.11.009. PMID 25516079. one could predict dizygotic conjoined twins occurring less than 1 in every 4.7 billion ovulation cycles
^ abCarnevale, Francisco Cesar; Borges, Marcus Vinicius; Affonso, Breno Boueri; Pinto, Ricardo Augusto de Paula; Tannuri, Uenis; Maksoud, João Gilberto (April 2006). "Importance of angiographic study in preoperative planning of conjoined twins: case report". Clinics. 61 (2): 167–70. doi:10.1590/S1807-59322006000200013. PMID 16680335.
^Tao Le; Bhushan, Vikas; Vasan, Neil (2010). First Aid for the USMLE Step 1: 2010 20th Anniversary Edition. USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-07-163340-6.
^"h2g2 – Twins – A369434". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
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Conjoinedtwins, popularly referred to as Siamese twins, are twins joined in utero. It is a very rare phenomenon, estimated to occur in anywhere between...
that also produces vanishing twins and conjoinedtwins, and may represent a continuum between the two. In parasitic twins, one ceases development during...
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each twin). Conjoinedtwins appear in one in 50,000 to one in 100,000 births. Dicephalic twins represent about 11 percent of all conjoinedtwins. As late...
American conjoinedtwins. They are dicephalic parapagus twins (having two heads joined to one torso), and are highly symmetric for conjoinedtwins. Each...
have proven that a successful outcome is possible. Among all conjoinedtwins, craniopagus twins account for a mere 2% to 6%. The first classification system...
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The Siamese Twins, The Hilton Sisters and The Brighton Twins or The Brighton ConjoinedTwins and in the United States as the San Antonio Twins. The sisters...
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Abdulaziz Al Saud concerning Malaysian conjoinedtwins, Ahmed and Mohammed. Al Rabeeah performed the surgery on the twins in September 2002. The numerous surgical...
Tatiana Hogan (born October 25, 2006) are Canadians who are conjoined craniopagus twins. They are joined at the head and share a skull and a brain. They...
for conjoinedtwins (Class V) who are united at the pelvis. The twins are classically joined with the vertebral axis at 180°. The conjoinedtwins usually...
African-American pygopagus conjoinedtwins who went by the stage names "The United African Twins": 125 "The Carolina Twins", "The Two-Headed Nightingale"...
krʲɪvəˈɕlʲæpəvɨ]; 3 January 1950 – 17 April 2003) were Ischiopagus tripus conjoinedtwins from Russia. They were removed from their mother's custody at birth...
and Carl Aguirre (born April 21, 2002) are former conjoinedtwins born in Manila. They were conjoined at the top of the head and shared 8 centimetres (3...
parasitic twin and conjoinedtwins is that in parasitic twins, one twin, the parasite, stops development during gestation, whereas the other twin, the autosite...
Colloredo and Joannes Baptista Colloredo (1617 – after 1646) were Italian conjoinedtwins who toured freak shows in 17th-century Europe. They were born in Genoa...
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Teresa Tapia (born April 8, 2010) are formerly conjoinedtwins born in the Dominican Republic. The twins were joined by their lower chest and abdomen and...
the first known separation of conjoinedtwins joined at the back of the head. Although the surgery was a success, the twins continued to experience neurological...
was held after the deaths of the conjoinedtwins and their deaths were ruled a misadventure by the coroner. The twins operation was referenced in an episode...
by the same process as conjoinedtwins from monozygotic twin embryos.[citation needed] In humans, there are two forms of twinning that can lead to two heads...
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