A team of surgeons, pediatricians, and nurses at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC successfully separated conjoined twins during a long 24-hour procedure. The 2-year-old twins - Dagian and Danielle Lee of Cleveland, OH - were separated during a procedure which began at 6:30am Saturday Dec. 13, 2008, and ended 24 hours later.

The girls, who were joined from the breast bone to the groin - are said to be recovering well at the Children's Hospital.

Leading the team that separated the girls was Joseph E. Losee, MD, FACS, FAAP, who is also the chief of the Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery. He led the more than 50 individuals involved in either preoperative care or the surgery itself.

The multidisciplinary surgical team included specialists from Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery, Urology, Pediatric Anesthesiology, and General and Thoracic Surgery. Specialists from Critical Care Medicine, Nursing, and Cardiology have also been involved in the twins' pre and post operative care.

The girls were conjoined from the breast bone to the groin, and shared a colon. Their livers were also connected, and they shared a third leg.

Dr. Losee said the separation was complex, but that the surgery went well. He also noted, "They still face future risks and surgeries, but we look forward to watching them live long, happy lives."

During the first two years of their lives, the twins spent much of their time as patients of the Children's Hospital. They underwent more than 10 procedures leading up to the separation.

The girl's mother, Catherine Nickson said, "It was such a difficult decision to make, and I knew the separation involved a very complicated surgery. I was scared, but I wanted the girls to be separated so they could give them the best life possible. When I met the team at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, I knew this is where we should come even though it is so far from my family and friends in Cleveland. The entire team has been amazing, and I can't thank them enough for all they've done for my girls."

Conjoined twins are rare and occur in about one in every 100,000 births.