LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) - MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: A News Conference to announce that physicians and surgeons at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles successfully separated identical conjoined twin girls who were born nine months ago along with their sister -- a separate and normally developed fraternal triplet. A type of conjoined twins known as "Ischiopagus Tripus," the babies were born connected from just below their diaphragms down to their pelvises, share a fused third leg and have a number of conjoined internal organs. The separation procedure began at 6 a.m. yesterday (Wednesday, Sept. 10), and concluded this morning (Thursday, Sept. 11). This is only the second known case of conjoined twins also being a part of a set of triplets. WHO: -- James E. Stein, MD, the team leader, is a pediatric surgeon at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and assistant professor of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. -- Richard A.K. Reynolds, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and associate professor of Clinical Orthopaedics at Keck School of Medicine. --John E. Gross, MD, is a reconstructive plastic surgeon at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and assistant professor of Surgery at Keck School of Medicine. -- William B. McIlvaine, MD, is associate chair of Anesthesiology at Childrens Hospital, and a visiting associate professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at Keck School of Medicine. WHEN: 2:00 P.M., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003 WHERE: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Saban Research Institute (courtyard), 4661 Sunset Blvd. (Across from the hospital, next to the MTA station, corner of Sunset and Vermont) PARKING: Media are urged to park in the gated MTA lot next to the Saban Research Institute building!!!