Find out more about the different types of conjoined twins and the organisations that support them and their families.
Conjoined twins are extremely rare and most conjoined twins are stillborn; a proportion of those who are born alive do not often survive for very long afterwards.
The first surgical separation of conjoined twins was in 1953, and many conjoined twin babies, born in or outside the UK, are cared for by a specialist team at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London - the team have dealt with 21 separations and nine inoperable cases.
Conjoined twins are classified by the way their bodies are joined. There are many definitions, but these are the types of conjoined twins most often seen:
Thoraco-omphalopagus: Joined from the upper chest to the lower chest. These twins usually share a heart, and may also share the liver or part of the digestive system.
Thoracopagus: Joined from the upper thorax to lower stomach. The heart is almost always involved in these cases.
Omphalopagus: Joined at the lower chest. Unlike Thoracopagus, the heart is never involved. The twins often share a liver, digestive system, diaphragm and other organs.
Parasitic twins: Twins asymmetrically conjoined, resulting in one twin that is small, less formed, and dependent on the larger twin for survival.
Craniopagus: Fused skulls, but separate bodies. These twins can be conjoined at the back of the head, the front of the head, or the side of the head, but not on the face or the base of the skull.
Twins Tatiana and Krista in the programme are Craniopagus. As well as their skulls being joined, their brains are intertwined.
Here are some organisations who offer information and support about rare disorders:
Contact a Family
www.cafamily.org.uk
Provide support, advice and information for a variety of conditions and can put families in contact with each other. The website
includes a directory of specific conditions and rare disorders.
Helpline: 0808 808 3555
Textphone: 0808 808 3556
(lines open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, Monday 5.30 - 7.30)
Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC)
www.arc-uk.org
Offering non-directive support and providing information to parents throughout the antenatal testing process, and if an abnormality
is diagnosed in their unborn baby.
Helpline: 0207 631 0285
(lines open Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm)
Tamba Bereavement Support Group
www.tamba-bsg.org.uk
Offering support to parents who have lost a baby, or lost babies during a multiple pregnancy or at any stage after birth.
Helpline: 0800 138 0509
(lines open 10am - 1pm, 7pm - 10pm)
Information on call charges to 08 numbers:
0800 - Free from BT land line.
0808 - Free from BT land lines and most mobile and other networks.
0845 - calls cost up to 4p per minute with a max 10p set up plus from a BT land line, mobile and other network rates may be
higher.
0844 - Calls cost up to 5p per minute with a max 10p set up charge from a BT land line. Mobile and other network rates may be
higher.
