Conjoined twins are rare, and each set of
conjoined twins has a unique conjoined anatomy. It is necessary to perform separation to increase the chance of patient survival.
Tissue expansion is an advanced technique for providing sufficient soft tissue and skin for
wound closure. We report the successful application of rapid
tissue expansion in 10-month-old xipho-omphalopagus
conjoined twins in Vietnam. A
tissue expander was placed on the anterior body between the sternum and umbilicus with a baseline of 70 mL sterile
saline (0.9% NaCl). The first injection into the
tissue expander began on the 6th day after expander insertion, and
injections continued every 2 days with approximately 30-70 mL per injection according to the expansion of the skin. The expander reached 335 mL after six
injections and within 10 days. In order to prepare for surgical separation, expansion was completed on the 15th day after insertion. The expanded skin area was estimated to be 180 cm2, which was sufficient to cover both patients' skin deficiencies. The twins presented for surgical separation 6 days following the completion of
tissue expansion. Both babies were discharged in good health 1 month after separation.