The separation surgery for a pair of conjoined twin girls is underway at Hunan Children's Hospital in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, April 1, 2009.(Xinhua Photo/Long Hongtao) Photo Gallery>>>

    CHANGSHA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Siamese twin sisters separated a week ago remained in intensive care Wednesday at a hospital here in the capital of central China's Hunan Province.

    "Both twins suffer from septicemia and severe pneumonia, which could cause infections and breathing difficulties at any time," said Gao Xirong, head of the Division of Neonatology at the Hunan Children's Hospital.

    She said the twins were still too weak to drink milk and were being fed intravenously.

    The twins were connected from their breastbones to their abdomens and shared one liver when they were born on March 16 in Xinhua County.

    This was the hospital's first separation surgery of Siamese twins. Such operations are more common in bigger cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

    Gao said the twins were successfully separated on April 1 and both could breathe without the help of respirators as of April 6.

    But, Gao said, if they developed infections and breathing problems, they might need respirators.

The conjoined twins are seen before the separation surgery at Hunan Children's Hospital in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, April 1, 2009. A pair of conjoined twin girls were successfully separated on Wednesday after a six-and-half hour operation and in a stable condition. The twins were born joined at the abdomen and shared same umbilical cord in Xinhua County of Loudi City in Hunan Province on March 16, 2009. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao) Photo Gallery>>>

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