title: Cardiac relocation and chest wall reconstruction after separation of thoracopagus conjoined twins with a single heart.
abstract: Separation of thoracopagus conjoined twins with a single heart and the twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence yielded a single surviving infant with a protuberant heart covered by ribs and soft tissue from the nonsurviving twin. At 13 months of age, the heart was relocated in the chest after caudal mobilization of the diaphragms. The protective tissue cage was removed and a normal chest contour established. This technique also may be useful in the treatment of thoracic ectopia cordis.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery and Cardiology, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puder
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Geva
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Moritz M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Shamberger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005330:Fetofetal Transfusion / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D014428:Twins, Conjoined / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal