A medical team in Riyadh has been making final preparations for the 15-hour operation to separate Iraqi twins, Eyad and Ziyad, conjoined in the abdomen. The operation, led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, will be performed at the King Abdul Aziz National Guard Medical City on 25 October, after a rehearsal was carried out successfully on Thursday. The complicated procedure will separate Eyad and Ziyad who are joined at the abdomen and chest and share a liver and parts of the bowels. The two boys arrived in the Kingdom seven months ago aboard a medical evacuation plane ordered by King Abdullah. The King also ordered care for the boys and medical investigations to assess the prospects of a successful operation. Doctors had previously postponed an operation scheduled during Ramadan in order to conduct further investigations and give the boys a chance to gain weight. The twins' parents, Hasan Muhammad and Safa Al-Zaidan, expressed their apprehension at the final go-ahead for the operation, which doctors have described as having a risk factor of 35 percent. This will be the 20th operation to separate conjoined-twins conducted by the Saudi medical team which has received worldwide recognition for its success in the field. – Okaz __
