RIYADH: Mohammed Abdulrahman Juma, a child from Egypt with a parasitic twin, flew with his family to Riyadh on Wednesday for examination by a Saudi medical team to assess whether separation surgery is possible.
It followed directives from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the Kingdom help care for the child.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the head of the medical team at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, and also an advisor to the Royal Court and Saudi aid agency KSrelief, thanked the Kingdom’s leaders for their support of this humanitarian case. He also acknowledged their backing of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which provides assistance to critical cases worldwide.
Mohammed’s parents said they deeply appreciated the help provided by the program and the Saudi leaders, and the care and attention they have received, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
A parasitic twin, also known as vestigial twin, is an identical twin that stopped developing during gestation but is physically attached to the fully developed twin. Because it is not fully developed, it cannot survive on its own and often dies in the womb or during birth.