
Conjoined twins who were connected at the chest and abdomen have been separated after an operation that has never before been successfully attempted.

Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata were born in Texas last April and were welcomed by parents Elysse and John Eric.

The couple, from Lubbock, were told that their twin girls would be conjoined and when they were born it was found their shared the same chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis.

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Mother Elysse Mata goes to see one of her daughters in recovery and gives the thumbs up after her conjoined twins were successfully separated

Doctors and family members gather around the other girl as she recovers from surgery. The operation to separate them lasted a total of 26 hours

The twins, pictures before the surgery were connected at the chest and abdomen and shared several vital organs including the liver, lungs and intestines

Earlier this month, a team of more than 26 clinicians, including 12 surgeons, six anesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses at the Texas Children's Hospital operated to separate the 10-month-olds.

The 26-hour surgery was the first time twins conjoined at the chest and abdomen in this way had been separated successfully.

And now their mother Elysse says she can't thank the surgeons enough for giving her daughters the chance to live separate lives.

She said: 'We know how much planning and time went into this surgery and we are so blessed to be at a place like Texas Children's where we have access to the surgeons and caretakers that have made this dream a reality.

The girls' father John Eric struggles contain his emotion after both of his daughters survived the operation, which had never before been attempted

Mrs Mata strokes one of her daughter's hair after the surgery earlier this month. Both girls are still recovering in Texas Children's Hospital's intensive care unit

Mrs Mata struggles to hold back her tears of happiness, saying she can't thank the surgeons enough for allowing her daughters to live separate lives

Mr and Mrs Mata personally thank some of the medical team that operated on their daughters. In total 12 surgeons, six anesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses carried out the surgery

'We also want to express our gratitude to all of the people that have prayed and provided support to our family over the last 10 months.

To prepare for the major surgery earlier this month, both Knatalye and Adeline underwent a five hour procedure in December to place custom-made tissue expanders into their chest and abdomen.

The tissue expanders helped to stretch the babies’ skin in preparation for their separation surgery.

Models of their organs were also created so doctors could carry out simulations of the operation before the actual surgery.

During the operation, the team worked for around 23 hours on Knatalye and for 26 on Adeline with the official separation taking place 18 hours into the procedure.

Mrs Mata discovered she was carrying conjoined twins when a routine ultra-sound showed that the girls were connected at the chest and abdomen

Before the surgery Knatalye and Adeline underwent a five-hour procedure to place tissue expanders in their chest to prepare for the operation

The twins big brother, five-year-old Azariah gives them both a kiss before they are wheeled off to theatre for their 26-hour operation

Doctors prepare to begin the procedure after the girls are given anesthetic. The surgery was the first time it had been carried out successfully

Surgeons during the operation. Before the surgery, staff made 3D models of the twins' organs in order to practice how they would carry out the procedure

The full team that helped to separate the twins pose for a picture in the operating theatre. The girls will remain under their care until they are discharged

Dr Darrell Cass, paediatric surgeon said: 'This is the first time a separation surgery for thoraco-omphalo-ischiopagus twins with this particular configuration has been successful.

'This surgery was not without its challenges with the girls sharing several organ systems.

'Our team has been preparing for this surgery for months and we’ve done everything from working with our radiology experts to build a 3-D model of their organs, to conducting simulations of the actual separation surgery.'

The girls are now being cared for in the hospital's paediatric intensive care unit, where they will recover for the next couple of months.