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Brazilian twins who were joined at the head have been separated by surgeons using virtual reality. Three-year-olds Bernardo and Arthur Lima underwent surgeries in Rio de Janeiro, with a connection to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. The doctors have trained for months, using virtual reality projections of the twins based on CT and MRI scans.
Surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani called it “space-age stuff” for one of the most complex separation processes ever completed. For the first time surgeons in separate countries wore headsets and operated in the same virtual reality room together. The twins had seven surgeries, involving more than 27 hours of operating time in the final operation alone, and almost 100 medical staff.