STORY: A hospital in Peru reported the successful separation of conjoined twin baby girls, authorities announced on Wednesday (December 24), calling the outcome a "Christmas miracle."

Ailani and Alif Palacios Picon, premature twins born joined at the spine, were successfully separated during a highly complex surgical procedure on December 18 at the National Institute of Child Health San Borja (INSN San Borja), officials said.

The girls were born prematurely on October 5, 2025, in Huanuco, in central-eastern Peru, and arrived at the hospital in Lima three days after birth in a delicate condition, requiring medical teams to work quickly to stabilize them, according to medical officials.

A multidisciplinary team evaluated the twins to determine the best surgical approach. MRI scans revealed the girls shared a spinal canal and nerve structures, significantly complicating the separation, the officials said.

The surgical team operated on December 18 in a procedure lasting more than three hours. Following the surgery, Ailani and Alif were transferred to the Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit, where they remained until Wednesday.

The twins' parents, Marleni Picon and Menelio Palacios, who work as farmers in their hometown of Llata, expressed gratitude to the doctors, anaesthesiologists, nurses, and nursing technicians who cared for their daughters.

Hospital officials described the successful separation as a remarkable achievement given the complexity of the case and the premature birth of the twins.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD DEL NINO SAN BORJA HANDOUT - Access all)

1. CONJOINED TWINS, AILANI AND ALIF, LYING IN HOSPITAL BED BEFORE SURGERY AND MOTHER OF TWINS, MARLENI PICON, LOOKING AT THEM

2. DOCTORS ENTERING HOSPITAL ROOM

3. PICON SHAKING RATTLE AND LOOKING AT HER TWINS

4. VARIOUS OF CONJOINED TWINS ON BED / MEDICAL STAFF LOOKING AT THEM

5. VARIOUS OF DOCTOR LOOKING AT DIGITAL SCANS ON TABLET

6. SCULPTURE OF CONJOINED TWINS

7. DOCTORS CHECKING SCULPTURE OF CONJOINED TWINS BEFORE OPERATION

8. MEDICAL TEAM TRANSPORTING CONJOINED TWINS IN COT

9. VARIOUS OF CONJOINED TWINS BEING PREPARED FOR OPERATION

10. SCREEN SHOWING X-RAY OF CONJOINED TWINS

11. VARIOUS OF SURGERY IN PROGRESS

LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 24, 2025) (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD DEL NINO SAN BORJA HANDOUT - Access all)

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SAN BORJA HOSPITAL, ZULEMA TOMAS GONZALES, SAYING:

"They were born as conjoined twins, and they had compromised organs. Today, thanks to the multidisciplinary team of more than 16 doctors, nurses, and technicians, we are seeing this Christmas miracle, this act of love, seeing them healthy, seeing them recovered, although still in the recovery process."

LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD DEL NINO SAN BORJA HANDOUT - Access all)

13. TWINS IN BEDS AFTER SURGERY AND THEIR PARENTS, MARLENI PICON AND MENELIO PALACIOS, WAVING AT CAMERA

LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 24, 2025) (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD DEL NINO SAN BORJA HANDOUT - Access all)

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FATHER OF TWINS, MENELIO PALACIOS, SAYING:

"I wanted to see them separated, not together lying down. They were bored, crying, but now they are separated, happy, all thanks to the doctors and surgeons who have accomplished this goal."

LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD DEL NINO SAN BORJA HANDOUT - Access all)

15. PICON KISSING ONE OF THE TWINS

16. PALACIOS LOOKING AT ONE OF THE TWINS

LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 24, 2025) (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD DEL NINO SAN BORJA HANDOUT - Access all)

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FATHER OF TWINS, MENELIO PALACIOS, SAYING:

"Thank God, I haven't spent anything, I'm just grateful for my daughters who are now separated."

18. PICOS AND PALACIOS HOLDING AND KISSING THE TWINS