Plastic surgeon Dr Tony Holmes has announced that the conjoined twins’ surgery is going smoothly and to plan.

Dr Holmes said Krishna and Trishna were put to sleep last night to have their anaesthetic lines put in.  An angiogram was also performed for a final look at the blood vessels.  Krishna and Trishna remained sedated for the duration of the night.

The girls arrived in theatre on schedule today at around 8.30am.  Theatre staff spent time positioning the girls and equipment before plastic surgeons made the first incision at 10am.

A major flap of skin has been pulled back to expose the tissue expanders and half of the bone.  A layer of excess skin, produced by the expanders, has been removed and will be preserved for use after the separation to cover the girls’ scalps.

Neurosurgeons Dr Wirginia Maixner and Dr Alison Wray and now starting to remove the bone at the back half of the girls’ heads.

Dr Holmes says Krishna and Trishna were prepared as well as possible for this surgery.  “I am cautiously optimistic,” he said.

Fellow plastic surgeon Dr Andrew Greensmith shared Dr Holmes’s sentiment, saying he is experiencing “a nervousness of a positive type”.

He said the team is applying techniques used everyday on other patients, but their application this time is obviously unique.

“It’s a great privilege to be involved as part of this team,” Dr Greensmith said.  “It’s an extremely good team that has been working well for the past two years with the twins.”