Twins with two heads and one heart

katja z · #1 by **katja z** » Dec 22, 2011 6:55 pm

Conjoined twins have been born in Brazil with two heads, two functioning brains and two backbones - but a single heart.

The rare condition is thought to have occurred when one of the pair failed to fully develop in the womb.

Doctors say separating the twins, named Jesus and Emanuel, is not currently an option because there is only one set of organs, Reuters reports.

(...)

Patrick O'Brien, a spokesman for the UK's Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists who has been involved in several conjoined twin cases, said no decisions were likely to be made about Jesus and Emanuel's future for some time.

"A lot of work is needed, in terms of scans and tests, before doctors will know if they can separate them or not, and just how organs and blood vessels are shared and linked.

"It takes quite a while before they can decide how feasible it is."

BBC

I'm amazed that separation is mentioned even as a remote possibility. How could you separate twins who share one heart? :scratch:

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

chairman bill · #2 by **chairman bill** » Dec 22, 2011 6:57 pm

One of them dies, or a heart transplant maybe. Still, obvious proof of intelligent design, dontcha think?

katja z · #3 by **katja z** » Dec 22, 2011 7:09 pm

chairman bill wrote:One of them dies, or a heart transplant maybe.

Ok, but what about the rest? The article said they have "one set of organs".

Still, obvious proof of intelligent design, dontcha think?

The surgery procedures? Absolutely.

Varangian · #4 by **Varangian** » Dec 22, 2011 10:57 pm

There's another thread on conjoined twins, who appear to be able to lead a fairly normal life.

Gallstones · #5 by **Gallstones** » Dec 25, 2011 5:03 am

Let's say they survive and grow. Then the time comes when the one heart and the one complement of organs can't bear the burden of two (heads) and either one must be amputated or they are allowed to die--the weak parasitic twin debilitating the stronger one unto death.

What to do?

natselrox · #6 by **natselrox** » Dec 25, 2011 5:11 am

Just read about this on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_an ... any_Hensel

I don't think separation is a possibility at all.

Berthold · #7 by **Berthold** » Dec 26, 2011 6:25 am

The wiki article mentions that several historic examples survived to adulthood. However, this book* mentions just one pair (somewhere in Italy, if I recall correctly) that died in early childhood.

*The author is aware that conjoined twins are not technically mutants.

Gallstones · #8 by **Gallstones** » Dec 26, 2011 8:21 am

Yay God et al, your handiwork is amazing!

The_Metatron · #9 by **The_Metatron** » Dec 26, 2011 8:34 am

I was wondering which brain controls which limb.

Mazille · **#10** by **Mazille** » Dec 26, 2011 10:23 am

The_Metatron wrote:I was wondering which brain controls which limb.

That depends. It's really not possible to tell before extensive scans and tests are done, or the little ones grow up enough to tell people who's doing what.
I seem to recall a case study where the two heads shared the body halves like brain hemispheres usually would. I.e. the left head controls the right half of the body, the right head the left half. Might be suffering a brain glitch there, though. :ask:

cavarka9 · **#11** by **cavarka9** » Dec 26, 2011 10:47 am

is it ethical for parents to euthanize such children? :ask:

The_Metatron · **#12** by **The_Metatron** » Dec 26, 2011 2:38 pm

Mazille wrote:
The_Metatron wrote:I was wondering which brain controls which limb.

That depends. It's really not possible to tell before extensive scans and tests are done, or the little ones grow up enough to tell people who's doing what.
I seem to recall a case study where the two heads shared the body halves like brain hemispheres usually would. I.e. the left head controls the right half of the body, the right head the left half. Might be suffering a brain glitch there, though.

I was curious if Left person would have full control when they chose, likewise with Right person. Or, do both of them have to be awake and cooperating? Not a common thing, but makes me curious how it would work.

John P. M. · **#13** by **John P. M.** » Dec 26, 2011 2:51 pm

Well, the Hensel twins mentioned above are 21 now. They have two hearts though.
Their organs are distributed like this:

About that intelligent design; this is all our own fault though. Or rather, our most distant ancestors' fault which had to be transferred to us and all of creation for some reason, even if the quarrel was between only those first people and god, not us. So it makes all kinds of sense really.

cavarka9 · **#14** by **cavarka9** » Dec 26, 2011 5:48 pm

cavarka9 wrote:is it ethical for parents to euthanize such children?

Rachel Bronwyn · **#15** by **Rachel Bronwyn** » Dec 26, 2011 10:20 pm

Nothing about the Hensel twins' lives seems normal. They have to do everything differently from everyone else. The fact they're healthy and do most of the same things other people their age do hardly makes their lives normal. I certainly don't envy them.

Even in cases of conjoined twins where two hearts are present, it's very common for one heart to end up doing the majority of work for both individuals. I'm inclined to believe this Brazilian case is a hopeless one.