Conjoined twin girls from the Dominican Republic were said to be in a stable condition Tuesday at a Virginia hospital following a complicated surgical separation.
Maria and Teresa Tapia were born joined at the lower chest and abdomen, sharing a liver, pancreas and portion of the small intestine, reports AP.
A team led by Dr. David Lanning, surgeon-in-chief at Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University, completed a 20-hour surgery on Maria and an 18.5-hour surgery on Teresa.
Dr. Lanning said Tuesday the 19-month-old twins were in the pediatric intensive care unit and were in stable condition.
In several complicated procedures involving six surgeons, the team divided the liver, pancreas and other shared organs and reconstructed the girls' abdominal walls, AP reports.
The twins and their family have become celebrities in the Dominican Republic, with the country's first lady even having flown to Richmond to support them.
The girls and their 24-year-old mother, Lisandra Sanatis, arrived in Richmond about two months ago to prepare for the lengthy surgery.
The World Pediatric Project, a nonprofit surgical-care provider for children in Central America and the Caribbean, sponsored the twins' medical care, along with the family's stay in the U.S., reports AP.
