Hiyab and Wuhbto, two-year-old twins born in Ethiopia with the rare craniopagus condition, were separated in a 25-hour operation at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. A multidisciplinary team of nearly 30 specialists spent almost a year planning the delicate surgery, which required separating shared blood vessels and small fused brain areas. Wuhbto has had cranioplasty; Hiyab’s skull repair is scheduled for this fall. Both girls are now in rehabilitation at Ranken Jordan and may return home to Ethiopia when medically cleared.
Two-Year-Old Craniopagus Twins Separated After 25-Hour Operation in St. Louis
The twins before and after their separation surgery. / Credit: SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital / CBS News
Two-year-old twins born in Ethiopia who were joined at the head have been successfully separated after a complex, 25-hour surgical operation at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. For the first time in their lives, sisters Hiyab and Wuhbto can see one another face to face.
The girls were born with an exceptionally rare form of conjoining called craniopagus, in which twins are fused at the skull and in this case faced in opposite directions. According to the National Library of Medicine, craniopagus cases account for under 6% of conjoined twin occurrences and are estimated to appear in roughly one in every 2.5 million live births.
Hospital officials said that leaving the twins connected posed significant long-term health risks. The children traveled from Ethiopia to Missouri in 2025 to undergo separation surgery. Nearly 30 specialists across multiple disciplines spent almost a year planning the technically demanding procedure, supported by an international network of pediatric clinicians and charitable organizations.
Their parents were unable to travel due to visa issues, so the twins came with a guardian. The operation, performed in February, lasted 25 hours. Surgeons carefully separated shared blood vessels and addressed several small areas where brain tissue was fused, using meticulous microsurgical techniques to minimize risk.
Dr. Joanna Kemp, who led the surgical team and was identified by the hospital as the first female neurosurgeon in the U.S. to perform this procedure, said the twins’ brains were "mostly separate," with a few "small areas that were fused" that required delicate handling. She described the moment the children were finally apart in the operating room as "quite wild."
The hospital described the operation as a major milestone in the twins’ recovery. Wuhbto has already undergone a cranioplasty to rebuild part of her skull; a similar repair for Hiyab is planned for later this fall. Both children are receiving continued care and rehabilitation at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon told CBS News it hopes to reunite the girls with their family in Ethiopia and send them home once medical care and rehabilitation permit. The hospital continues to monitor their recovery closely as they progress through physical therapy and follow-up procedures.
What Comes Next: Ongoing rehabilitation, scheduled skull repair for Hiyab, and planning for safe travel home when medically appropriate.
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