Abstract
The birth of xiphopagus conjoined twins presents a unique condition, only 11 sets having survived separation since 1689 free of anomalies. In none have psychologic and psychomotor development been recorded pre-and post-surgery. Therefore a 100-hour videotape analysis of a pair of xiphopagus twins was undertaken. A startling observation was the absence of en-face positioning between the twins (p<.001). Visual stimuli at the midline were only minimally attended to by the twins in the eye-to-eye direct frontal position, although they attended to the same stimuli from other positions (p<.001). Reciprocal hand-knee pre-surgery greeting behavior persisted post-surgery. Severe neck hyperextension and lumbar lordosis continued as the position of choice after surgery. A modified Bayley Motor Scale and Denver Developmental Screening Test administered prior to surgery at 6 months of age delineated a 4-month gross motor development lag; partial compensation occurred by 3 months after separation. These studies document that the development of mental and psychomotor functions can be altered by physical constraints and anomalous development may persist.
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Harper, R., Stern, D., Sia, C. et al. 47 SELF-IDENTIFICATION AND ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS OBSERVED IN LONGITUDINAL PSYCHOMOTOR STUDIES OF XIPHOPAGUS CONJOINED TWINS. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 371 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00052
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00052