A Texas children’s hospital has successfully performed its first-ever separation surgery for 16-week-old conjoined twins in a complex 11-hour procedure, months in the making.
Twin sisters AmieLynn Rose and JamieLynn Rae Finley were born prematurely at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth on Oct. 3, 2022, by cesarean section, weighing 4 pounds, 7.8 ounces each. The girls are identical omphalopagus twins, meaning they were conjoined at the abdomen; AmieLynn and JamieLynn were joined between the lower breastbone and belly button and shared a liver, abdominal tissue, and fascia.
Parents Amanda and James hold their twins after separation surgery. (Courtesy of Cook Children’s)
Twins AmieLynn Rose and JamieLynn Rae Finley in the hospital, prior to their separation surgery. (Courtesy of Cook Children’s)
Doctors at Texas Health and its partner hospital, Cook Children’s Medical Center Fort Worth, spent almost nine months preparing for the groundbreaking surgery that would change the twins’ lives. Plans for a separation surgery began after the very first ultrasound that picked up on their being conjoined; since each baby had her own heart, both were viable candidates for separation….