Conjoined twins separated in groundbreaking surgery in Guangxi, SW China (4)

Damao and Xiaomao were born connected at the chest and abdomen on June 14 in Guiping, Guangxi, southwest China.

They shared a liver but not an alimentary canal, and because they had their own hearts and other vital organs, they can now live independent lives.

The surgery, which was performed at a hospital in Guangxi, lasted six hours on Aug. 8, 2013. It is seen as a great accomplishment for Guangxi medicine.

The baby girls are expected to go home with their parents soon, but they will have to be monitored as they grow.