Saudi Medical Team Begins Separation of Tanzanian Conjoined Twins in Riyadh
A Saudi medical team began on Thursday morning in Riyadh the separation of Tanzanian conjoined twins Laitiens and Lovens in a nine-stage operation lasting about 15 hours with an expected success rate of 70 percent.
This morning, Thursday 29 October 2026, the medical and surgical team of the Saudi Program for Conjoined Twins began the separation operation for the Tanzanian conjoined twins “Laitiens and Lovens,” who are two years and two months old, at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital at King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. The operation is being carried out under the direction of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
A nine-stage operation involving 44 specialists
Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and head of the medical and surgical team, said the operation is planned in nine stages, will take about 15 hours, and involves 44 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff in the fields of anesthesia, pediatric surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, urology, and plastic surgery. He estimated the success rate at 70 percent.
Joined at the pelvis and spine
Al-Rabeeah explained that the twins arrived in the Kingdom on 27 January 2026 and, after admission to the hospital, underwent detailed and multiple examinations and specialized medical meetings to assess their condition and determine the appropriate separation plan.
He said the girls are joined in the pelvic and hip area and have four lower limbs. They share the lower part of the intestines, the spine, the lumbar vertebrae, and the spinal cord. He added that they underwent a skin expansion procedure that lasted several months in preparation for the separation surgery.
The 75th operation in the program
Al-Rabeeah noted that this is the fourth operation for conjoined twins from Tanzania and the seventy-fifth within the Saudi Program for Conjoined Twins, which since 1990 has cared for 160 twins from 29 countries on five continents. He expressed his hope that the surgery will be successful and that the girls will enjoy good health.
