Cardiovascular anomalies in conjoined twins

ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular anomalies have been studied in two cases of conjoined twins. In case I, there was a single fused heart with 3 ventricles and 4 auricles. In case II, there were two ventricles and two auricles of which one was larger than the other. Both cases had separate arches of aorta for each of the pair. In both, persistance of sinus venosus was a feature. The truncus arteriosus was not differentiated in one of the pair, in case I. Two cases of conjoined female twins were received from the Mosul Obstetric Hospital. During labour, the head of one of the pair in Case I and lower abdomen with both legs in one of the pair in case II were severed to save the mothers. Both specimens were dissected to study the vital viscera and their anomalies. A variety of abnormal features were observed and the following is the account of such anomalies in the cardiovascular system. The other variations are being described in a separate communication