NICE 2 SEE YOU  Conjoined twin sisters see each other for the first time after being separated in 16-hour operation

CONJOINED twin sisters can see each other for the first time after they were separated in a 16-hour op.

The year-old girls were born joined at the back of the head, facing in opposite directions.

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The moment two formerly conjoined twin sisters see each other for the first time after they were separated in a 16-hour opCredit: Reuters

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A team of 25 medics including ten surgeons took part in the gruelling procedure to separate the twins last weekCredit: Soroka Medical Center
But they had an emotional face-to-face meeting after surgery in Israel led by Great Ormond Street’s Noor ul Owase Jeelani.

Israeli medic Dr Isaac Lazar said of the girls, who have not been named: “It was amazing to see them look at each other for the first time.

“They stared, made noises at each other, and were trying to communicate — it was just so moving.”

NHS surgeon Mr Owase Jeelani flew to Israel last week with his children’s brain surgery charity Gemini Untwined.

He told The Sun: “It was a very special moment. When we put them in separate intensive care beds they were unsettled.

“But when they could physically touch each other all of a sudden their blood pressure came down and they were much more relaxed.

“They still see themselves as one person — it’s hard for us to imagine being that connected to somebody.”

The medic, who has worked at Great Ormond Street for 21 years and flew home to the UK on Sunday for work on Monday morning, operated on the girls from 7am to midnight last Thursday.

The gruelling op, in which any mistakes could have been fatal, took a team of 25 medical staff including 10 surgeons.

He said: “It was a long day for sure – I’m still recovering from it.”

The family had started preparing for the operation six months ago when doctors put inflatable silicone bags under the girls’ scalps so they could stretch the skin to grow extra.

Once enough skin had been grown to cover the backs of their new skulls, surgeons intricately sliced through skin and bone to separate the sisters’ heads.

It was only the fifth time Mr Jeelani has done the operation but it makes him the most experienced surgeon in the world for this procedure.

There are around 50 cases of this condition each year worldwide, with 70 per cent not surviving past one month old – but these girls are now expected to live normal lives.

Mr Jeelani added: “It’s still early days but their brains looked intact at the end of the operation so there’s every reason to believe they will go on to live normal lives.

“The girls are doing really well – we’re delighted to have done it.”

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The surgery in Israel was led by Great Ormond Street’s Noor ul Owase Jeelani

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The procedure involved growing extra skin to stretch over the baby girls’ skullsCredit: Reuters