Five weeks before their operation, Professor Dominique Casanova, plastic surgeon at the CHU Nord, inserted inflatable balloons under their skin to dilate it and ensure there would be enough to cover the wound after surgery.
Dr Gabriel Lena, head of the pediatric neurosurgery unit at the Timone hospital, performed the five-hour operation to separate the twins, who should be able to go home within a few weeks to their family in Avignon for the first time.
"They can't stop touching each other as this is the first time they have been able to see each other properly" said Doctor Palix, head of the neonatal unit.
Similar operations have been carried out in Britain, South Africa and Canada and the risk is paralysis of the legs or an infection that could lead to meningitis but fortunately these two boys are recovering well and doctors say they should be walking by 21 months then go on to lead normal lives.
