The underdeveloped conjoined twin, Islaam, was attached to Manars head and was facing upward. Islaam could blink and even smile, but doctors determined she had to be removed, and that she could not survive on her own. Manar was featured on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show and in the British documentary series Body Shock. Manar died on March 26, 2006, fourteen months after the surgery, just days before her second birthday, due to a severe infection in her brain. On January 20, 2021, a baby was born with two heads, at the Elias Hospital in Bucharest, Romania, but died some hours after being born. History
Only ten cases of craniopagus parasiticus have been reported in the medical research literature. Of those cases, only four have survived birth. The first case on record is that of Everard Homes Two-Headed Boy of Bengal, whose skull is preserved at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal Society of Surgeons. Terminology
In the past, the use of terminology when describing parasitic twins has been somewhat inconsistent. By definition, a parasitic twin is joined to another twin in a certain anatomical location or position on the developed twins body. The underdeveloped twin is termed the parasite, and the developed twin is termed the autosite. The autosite can have some abnormalities, as well. For the most part, however, it has developed enough that it can live on its own.
This is thought to be the most likely reason why conjoined twins occur, and could possibly play a role in the development of craniopagus parasiticus.One hypothesis is that craniopagus parasiticus starts with the development of two fetuses from a single zygote that fail to separate at the head region around the second week of gestation. Some believe, however, that it occurs later in development, around the fourth week of gestation, at which time the two embryos fuse together near the anterior open neuropore.Another hypothesis is that there is joining of the somatic and placental vascular system of the twins, as well as a degeneration of the umbilical cord of the parasitic twin. This suggests that craniopagus parasiticus develops due to the lack of blood supply to one of the twins. Diagnosis
Related conditions
In addition to craniopagus parasiticus, a few other conditions involve a childs, or animals, birth with two heads or faces. Dicephalic parapagus
Dicephalic parapagus is a condition where two heads are side by side on a single torso, with varying degrees of twinning of organs and structures within the torso. Diprosopus
Diprosopus occurs when a single body and neck are present, but there is a duplication of the structures of the face. This is different from craniopagus parasiticus in that there is only one head, although there is a duplication of the craniofacial features. Diprosopus can range from having two fully formed faces to just a duplication of the nose or eyes. Cats with the condition are referred to as Janus cats.