After a day of studying the intestines and several of the organs of a set of conjoined twins, doctors at Shanghai Children's Medical Center said Wednesday that separating the girls will be complicated and risky.

The twin girls, who were born on June 6, are connected along much of their torsos. Doctors say they share one liver, heart and some parts of the intestines.

Surgeons will inspect the heart next Monday, the most important pre-surgery procedure.

"The exam will help us learn whether their major heart vessels are connected," said Chen Qimin, deputy director of Shanghai Children's pediatric surgery department.

Chen says surgeons will run a small tube containing a tiny camera through one of the twin's legs and along the arteries into the heart to get a clear picture of the organ.

"We can cut the liver and the intestines for them," Chen said. "The heart, different from liver, is a hollow cavity. We can't split the heart and give each half. If major vessels connect, we may have to make a choice between the two twins and give the heart to one child."

"We want to keep both," Chen said.

The surgery is expected to be conducted next month.

Nearly 45 sets of conjoined twins, or Siamese twins as they were once known, are born in the world every year. About one-third of the twins are suitable for separation surgery, but not all patients survive.

Only one set of Siamese twins was born in the city since 1982, according to local medical records.

(Shanghai Daily July 22, 2004)