Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi to Cairo, Sheikh Rashid Malachi Nyiragira, made a visit to check on the health of the Burundian twins, who were successfully separated at the Demerdash University Hospital.
The visit came at the residence of the twins and their families at the university's guest house, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Ashraf Omar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Chairman of the University Hospitals Board of Directors, and Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Anwar, Executive Director of University Hospitals.
The Burundian ambassador praised the high level of health care within Ain Shams University hospitals, the efficiency of medical and nursing staff, and the availability of the latest medical devices and systems that match the international level. He also praised the efforts of all those responsible for the care and follow-up of the case of the twins at Ain Shams University headed by Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Matini, so Ain Shams University hospitals were selected through communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Burundian Embassy in Egypt due to the distinguished medical reputation of Ain Shams University hospitals in this type of rare surgery, until the successful separation surgery for twins was successfully performed for free with the university bearing all Costs for accommodation and treatment.
Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini stressed that all the capabilities of Ain Shams University Hospitals were harnessed to make the operation of separating conjoined twins a success and return them in good health to their country, pointing out that the contribution of Ain Shams University hospitals in this event is an integral part of the role of the Egyptian state with all its institutions in playing a pivotal role for its brothers within the African continent.
A medical team from El Demerdash University Hospital, affiliated with Ain Shams University, succeeded nearly a month ago in performing a rare and delicate surgery to separate the conjoined Burundian twins from the lower back, the surgery was performed on two children aged 1 year and 3 months, and the adhesion was separated in the abdomen, thighs, and some common organs in the digestive, reproductive and urinary systems, under the supervision of an integrated medical team from multiple medical specialties: the plastic surgery team headed by Prof. Dr. Amir Al-Barbari, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Amin, the pediatric surgery team headed by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Medhat Zaki, the orthopedic team headed by Prof. Dr. Tariq Hassan, and Prof. Dr. Shadi Samir, the anesthesia team headed by Prof. Dr. Hani Al-Dahabi, and the intensive care team headed by Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ismail.
The medical team also included Prof. Dr. Alaa Al-Ghunaimi, a consultant pediatric surgeon, who came specifically from France to participate in this successful surgery, is an Egyptian doctor who graduated from Ain Shams University and immigrated to France, and the university concluded a visiting professor protocol with him to benefit from his experiences.
The preparation for the operation of separating the twins took a whole year, during which the general health condition of the twins was reassured and many analyzes were conducted two preparatory operations were carried out to implant subcutaneous tissue extenders in two stages to facilitate the process of skin healing after the separation process, which lasted 16 hours continuously.