HOUSTON — Another set of formerly conjoined twins are back home after a remarkable journey at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
When Lucas and Mateo Villalobos Barrera were born on Jan. 18, 2022, at TCH, they were connected at the lower abdomen and pelvis. The boys shared multiple organs, including small intestines and a single colon, a condition known as ischiopagus twins.
Last August, a team of 25 experts, including eight surgeons, successfully separated the babies during a 17-hour procedure.
After spending their first nine months in the hospital, Lucas and Mateo were discharged from the NICU at TCH last October.
The family remained in Texas for several months for post-op care before one more operation on each brother on June 28.
Now, the baby boys are home in Las Vegas with their parents and three older brothers. They're about to celebrate their first birthday and are starting to walk.
“I don’t know what else we can ask for in life,” mom Lorena Barrera said. “We have our boys here, and that is God’s gift to us. We are eternally grateful to the specialists at Texas Children’s. It is from the hand of God that my children are here."
Before the separation surgery
Lorena and her husband, Alejandro Villalobos, were surprised but excited when they found out they were expecting twins, according to TCH.
After they learned the babies were conjoined, the family decided to temporarily relocate from Vegas to Houston so they could receive prenatal care from world-renowned experts at Texas Children’s Fetal Center.
Lorena underwent extensive prenatal imaging to determine if the boys could be separated after birth.
At 31 weeks, the delivery team conducted a labor and C-section simulation to prepare for the complex delivery.
“Every set of conjoined twins poses unique anatomical challenges that require extensive planning for a safe delivery for both mom and babies,” OBGYN in-Chief Dr. Michael Belfort at TCH explained.
The babies weighed a combined 8 pounds and 4 ounces at birth and they spent the next seven months in Texas Children's l level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in preparation for the separation surgery.
“Throughout their NICU stay, the boys had nearly 30 different teams taking care of them, including urologists, orthopedists and other surgical specialists; neonatologists, radiologists and numerous other medical specialists; nurses, occupational and physical therapists; Child Life specialists; and chaplains," TCH neonatologist Dr. Rita Shah said.
PHOTO GALLERY: Before and after the separation surgery
Conjoined twins at TCH before and after surgery
Separating Lucas and Mateo
The first step before the separation surgery was a procedure to place tissue expanders, similar to balloons that allow the skin to stretch gradually, which gave the twins additional skin.
Two months later, pediatric surgeon Dr. Alice King led the team that separated Lucas and Mateo.
• 4 pediatric surgeons
• 2 plastic surgeons
• 2 orthopedic surgeons
• 1 neurosurgeon
• 4 anesthesiologists
• 8 registered nurses
• 5 surgical technicians
“This incredibly complex case utilized nearly every single surgical subspecialty at Texas Children's Hospital,” King said. “The size and scope of the teams involved with Mateo and Lucas’s care was vast, and there are very few hospitals that could perform a procedure this multifaceted."
Following their successful separation surgery, which included extensive orthopedic reconstruction to their hips that would allow them the chance to walk, the boys returned to the NICU for two more months.
“The success of this separation can be attributed to the tireless dedication and unparalleled work ethic of our team,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, Surgeon-In-Chief at Texas Children’s Hospital and Vice Chair of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. “Countless hours of preparation went into this incredibly intricate surgery, and we are beyond grateful with the result: two healthy, happy boys.”
The family stayed in Houston until recently for follow-up care.
"The nurses and the specialists were excellent. We are very grateful indeed. This may be a long journey, but we ask that life and God give us the strength to keep looking after them and doing all the hard work," Lorena said.