Thoracophagus
An unfortunate case of so called thoracophagus (conjoined twins who shared the same heart). The mother (age 18) had abdominal pains so she was hospitalized. After examination doctors demanded urgent Caesarean section to end the pregnancy and save the mother's life. She was in that time 18 weeks pregnant.Conjoined twins are twins whose bodies are joined together at birth. This happens where the zygote of identical twins fails to completely separate. Conjoined twins occur in an estimated one in 200,000 births, with approximately half being stillborn. The overall survival rate for conjoined twins is between 5% and 25% and they are more likely to be female (70-75%). Thoracopagus is a case where two bodies are fused from the upper thorax to lower belly. The heart is always involved in these cases. A separation of a genuinely shared heart has not offered survival to both twins; a designated twin may survive if allotted the heart, sacrificing the other. Photo credit: @rocknrollaaah
