Siamese twins – causes, symptoms and course of the developmental defect

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Siamese twins are a birth defect that has aroused interest since ancient times. During the time of royal courts, Siamese twins were often an attraction, moreover, such siblings were willingly engaged to work in the circus. What is Siamese twins and what are the causes of this malformation? How are the consequences of this developmental defect treated?

Siamese twins – general information

Siamese twins, conjoined twins or twins are a very rare developmental defect, which is based on the occurrence of an unusual connection between parts of the body of identical twins. The defect occurs in one to 50-100 thousand cases. In most cases, Siamese twins are either stillborn or the pregnancy ends in a miscarriage. Significant interracial and regional differences were found in the mortality of Siamese twins still in utero. Because the highest birth rate of Siamese twins is recorded in India and the countries of the African continent.

Why are Siamese twins born – reasons

Siamese twins are the result of a genetic error in which a fertilized egg does not divide completely. The developmental defect of Siamese twins only affects identical twins and is the result of a delayed process of cell division. In this case, the two identical groups of cells do not completely separate. The later the division process begins, the more common organs will bind the Siamese twins together. Separating Siamese twins is a very complex, difficult and time-consuming process. The more organs there are, the more difficult the separation is and the greater the risk of complications or even death.

Siamese twins – symptoms and course of the developmental defect

The appearance of Siamese twins is diverse and depends mainly on which organs are shared and with which body parts the siblings are connected. There are several basic fusions of Siamese twins:

  1. Siamese twins fused with the chest, diaphragm and abdomen – usually the heart, liver, gastrointestinal tract and bile ducts are common;
  2. Siamese twins fused with the xiphoid process and the abdomen with the navel – usually the liver, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and bile ducts are common;
  3. Siamese twins fused with buttocks, coccyx and sacrum – usually the digestive tract, urinary system and nervous system are common;
  4. Siamese twins fused with the sacrum, pelvis and lower limbs – usually the liver, bile ducts, gastrointestinal tract, urinary system and nervous system are common;
  5. Siamese twins fused with the skull and common sinuses – usually the nervous system is common.

Siamese twins – treatment

Siamese twins are very often born still or die in the womb. If the Siamese twins are born alive, they can function and develop normally as much as possible. However, in a significant proportion of cases, an operation to separate Siamese twins is performed. The decision to perform an operation to separate Siamese twins depends on the number of organs shared by the siblings.

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