Events Calendar
In This Section
New eateries expand menu of options
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Day with Warren Buffett enriching to UA students
WISDOM FROM BILLIONAIRE WARREN BUFFETT
Wadsworth group plans vet tribute
Judge sentences four in nursing home case
FedEx says IRS won't be imposing penalties
U.S. Walmarts to stay open Thanksgiving
Most Read Stories
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
Motorcyclist killed, wife injured in Stark County crash
New eateries expand menu of options
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Louisville athlete commits to play for Boston College
Family found dead in Ohio home
Blogs:
Pets:
It Takes All Kinds
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
An interesting thought from a reader
Akron Zips:
Akron vs. Mount Union — Liveblog
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Mangini doesn't name a quarterback
Kent State Sports:
Flashes interested in another Cincinnati player
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Shaq: It’s All About Winning Championships
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Report: Walsh baseball player commits
All Da King's Men:
More On The Fort Hood Jihadist
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (63) Commonwealth Fund Report on Primary Care
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
3-year-old conjoined girls from Romania stay together. Family's plans for future unknown
By Tracy Wheeler
Beacon Journal medical writer
Published on Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007
CLEVELAND: Tatiana, the smaller of the conjoined Dogaru twins, has high blood pressure, eats very little, and needed therapy to learn to walk.
Her conjoined sister, Anastasia, has no functioning kidney, low blood pressure and a heart vessel defect.
And the girls, connected at their heads, share a circulatory system, bone and brain tissue.
From the time Claudia and Alin Dogaru brought their girls to Cleveland in April, doctors knew that separating the 3-year-old Romanian twins would be a complex procedure.
In the past two months, though, they've learned that the separation surgery carried even more complications than they initially imagined brain swelling, unforeseen heart problems, and Anastasia's dangerously low blood pressure when sedated.
Monday, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital announced that the surgical separation was called off.
''Based on information gained from the most recent series of tests, it has become clear that the risk of further surgery outweighs the likelihood of benefit,'' Dr. Nathan Levitan, chief medical officer of University Hospitals Case Medical Center, said at a news conference Monday.
In a video produced by the hospital, Alin Dogaru said he and his wife had talked to doctors ''about stopping if they feel it's not going to be OK.'' He then thanked the doctors for ''stopping at the right time.''
''We trust them,'' Claudia Dogaru added. ''Together, we think we made the best decision for the girls.''
In April and May, doctors used wire coils fed through catheters to separate the girls' shared circulatory systems. The procedure was considered a success, as each girl was able to circulate blood within their own bodies without relying on her sister.
In June, though, the difficulties became more apparent. When doctors opened the girls skull, they found brain swelling, while Anastasia's blood pressure dropped dangerously low.
The dura the membrane covering the brain was so ''abnormally tight'' that ''it wasn't safe to cut into it,'' Levitan said.
Over the next several weeks, doctors ran tests to understand what was leading to Anastasia's low blood pressure and what was causing the tightened dura, along with additional heart studies.
Test results from last week show that both girls' hearts are overworking Tatiana's as if fighting a blockage; Anastasia's as a result of her low blood pressure.
These findings left doctors with two questions: Would the twins benefit from more surgery? Is separation technically feasible?
The answer to both questions was no.
Even if doctors could handle Anastasia's blood pressure and even if they could safely cut through the dura, Levitan said, they would still have to cut large blood vessels at the back of their brains and alter the blood flow in each girl, which would raise a substantial risk of bleeding, stroke and loss of blood pressure control.
''The decision not to move forward with surgical separation was a very difficult one,'' Levitan said, ''but it was made with the safety of the twins in mind, and it was guided by the age-old medical oath, 'first, do no harm.'''
The decision, he said, leaves many unanswered questions, such as: Will the family remain in the United States, or return to Romania? Who will provide ongoing medical care and who will pay for it?
''We will do all that we can to support the family as they make plans for the future,'' Levitan said. However, he said it is unlikely that any other hospital would be able to better handle the complicated procedure.
''I'm not aware of any resources available elsewhere that aren't available here,'' he said.
The medical literature shows just 14 cases like the Dogaru twins' in the last 50 years. Of those, only 10 percent lived to the age of 11.
For now, though, the girls are doing well, Levitan said.
''At the present time, Anastasia and Tatiana are thriving,'' he said. ''They're active. They're happy. They're playing. They're on no medication at all.''
Tracy Wheeler can be reached at 330-996-3721 or tawheeler@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: Tatiana, the smaller of the conjoined Dogaru twins, has high blood pressure, eats very little, and needed therapy to learn to walk.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
