Texas doctors separate conjoined twins after 11-hour historic surgery

A pair of conjoined twins were successfully separated during a complex procedure that marked a surgical first for the Fort Worth, Texas, pediatric hospital where it took place on Monday.

The infants, AmieLynn Rose and JamieLynn Rae Finley, "are recovering well," officials at the hospital, Cook Children's Medical Center, wrote in a news release describing what they called a "historic surgery." AmieLynn and JamieLynn were born prematurely to parents and Fort Worth residents Amanda Arciniega and James Finley, at the nearby Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital on Oct. 3.

At the time of their birth, the twins were joined along their abdomens and shared skin, muscle and intra-abdominal organs, including a liver, according to Cook Children's Medical Center. A 2016 report published by the National Institutes of Health suggests that omphalopagus twins --the technical term means that part of the gastrointestinal system and abdominal wall is shared-- have the best chances of survival following a successful separation. About 10% of babies born conjoined are omphalopagus twins, according to the agency.