Fifteen-month-old conjoined twins were successfully separated after an 18-hour surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
The hospital announced in a press release that after almost a year of preparation and months after the surgery, twins Ally and El “are thriving at home” and receiving additional treatment as they grow and develop.
The twins were joined at the pelvis and brought to the hospital in the fall of 2024 for an initial appointment. The separation surgery took place Feb. 28, 2025, with a team of 30-plus healthcare providers helping with the “highly complex and delicate” operation.
According to Cleveland Clinic, experts estimate only 1 in every 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 pregnancies involve conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are connected by body parts or organs.
“Conjoined twins are rare, and twins joined at the pelvis, as Ally and El were, are even a bit rarer,” Dr. Caitlin A. Smith, co-director of the reconstructive pelvic medicine program at Seattle Children’s, said in a statement.
“The surgery required to separate them is highly specialized, but I was excited because I knew we had the right team in place. We think about surgery all the time, but this required another level of coordination and teamwork.”
For months, the team prepared and kept the twins’ parents informed about every step of the process, the hospital said in its release.
The twins shared their abdomen and pelvis. On the day of their surgery, the medical team separated their gastrointestinal, gynecologic and urologic systems.
“The relief that they were separated and safe was incredible,” said Smith. “Each twin got what they needed, thanks to our amazing, dedicated team who worked to ensure Ally and El’s health and safety were priority number one.”
Ally and El were discharged in late May 2025, the release states. While the twins initially had movement restrictions as they healed, they worked with the rehab team, physical therapists and speech-language specialists to be able to recover at home.
As they continue to grow, the Seattle Children’s therapists will help Ally and El develop and improve their speech and fine motor skills, as well as help the girls strengthen their muscles as they learn to walk.
The twins’ mother, Sam, said in the release that it has been “incredible” to watch their girls “crawl quickly, learn new words and see their distinct personalities take shape.”