Conjoined Twins

The Hensel twins have a single body with separate heads and necks, a chest that is wider than normal, two arms and two legs. At birth they had a rudimentary arm attached to a shoulder blade at the back. The arm was removed, leaving the shoulder blade.

Abigail's head tilts laterally outward about 5 degrees to the right while Brittany's head tilts laterally at about 15 degrees to the left, causing Brittany to appear shorter. At age 12, they underwent surgery at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare to correct scoliosis and to expand their chest cavity to prevent future difficulties with breathing.

Each of the twins manages one side of their conjoined body. The sense of touch of each is restricted to her body half; this shades off at the midsagittal plane such that there is a small amount of overlap at the midline. They are effective in cooperatively using their limbs when both hands or both legs are required.

By coordinating their efforts, they are able to walk, run, swim and ride a bicycle normally — all tasks that they learned at a normal speed. Together, they can type on a computer keyboard at a normal speed and drive a car.

Abigail and Brittany have individual organs in the upper part of their body while most of the organs located at or below the level of the navel are shared, the exception being the spinal cord.

* 2 heads * 2 spines merging at the coccyx, and joined at the thorax by sections of ribs. Surgery was employed to correct scoliosis * 2 completely separate spinal cords * 2 arms (originally 3, but rudimentary central arm was surgically removed, leaving central shoulder blade in place) * broad ribcage with 2 highly fused sternums and traces of bridging ribs.

Surgery was employed to expand the pleural cavities * 2 breasts * 2 hearts in a shared circulatory system (nutrition, respiration, medicine taken by either affects both) * 4 lungs with the medial lungs moderately fused, not involving Brittany's upper right lobe; three pleural cavities * 1 diaphragm with well-coordinated involuntary breathing, slight central defect * 2 stomachs * 2 gallbladders * 1liver, enlarged and elongated right lobe *

Y-shaped small intestine which experiences a slightly spastic double peristalsis at the juncture * 1 large intestine with one colon * 3 kidneys: 2 left, 1 right * 1 bladder * 1 set of reproductive organs * 2 separate half-sacrums, which converge distally * 1 slightly broad pelvis * 2 legs