The Separation of Conjoined Twins – Ethical Dilemmas
نویسندگان
چکیده
The conjoined twins are those twins who have several body parts united, this situation being one of the most challenging malformations. Some pairs, depending on degree of conjunction, can be surgically separated. The way in which one should divide these organs between the two organisms is still a critical ethical issue, the decision being extremely difficult both for the family and for the medical team. In the first part of the paper we will present some practical considerations derived from the personal experience of one case of conjoined twins.. The second part of the paper will describe the general ethical aspects that physicians will have to face when treating the conjoined twins. That is why in order for the surgical treatment of conjoined twins to be successful an experienced team in a tertiary center of pediatric surgery with access to all of the related specialties indicated in the therapeutic strategy of such serious malformations and obviously in collaboration with specialists in bioethics.
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Successful Surgical Separation of Thoraco-Omphalopagus Symmetrical Conjoined Twins in Iran: Two Case Reports
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