February 17, 2005
Second Set of Conjoined Twins Comes to Medical City Children’s
Infant girls are here for evaluation 



Anastasia and Tatiana Dogaru, a 1-year-old set of craniopagus conjoined twins, are at Medical City Children’s for evaluation by the team of doctors who successfully separated Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim in October 2003. 



The World Craniofacial Foundation, a non-profit organization, brought Claudia Dogaru and her infant daughters from Italy to Dallas on October 19, 2004. Since their arrival, the girls have undergone a series of tests to see if separation surgery is possible. To date, no decision has been reached. 



In addition to their conjoinment, the infants face other medical problems. Tatiana underwent surgery at Medical City Children’s in November for a potentially life-threatening congenital heart defect. She is now fully recovered from the surgery and doing well. Anastasia has a kidney problem that the doctors are still evaluating.



“These infants have some very complicated medical issues to overcome,” said Dr. Kenneth E. Salyer, the plastic surgeon who led the surgical team that separated the Egyptian twins. “The full team of doctors, including plastic surgeons from the International Craniofacial Institute, neurosurgeons from the Neurosurgeons for Children practice, cardiologists, a congenital heart specialist and a pediatric nephrologist are all involved in evaluating them to see whether separation surgery is the best course of treatment for them.” 



Anastasia and Tatiana were born January 13, 2004, in Rome, Italy, to Alin and Claudia Dogaru. The Dogarus, who are from Romania, also have a 4-year-old daughter, Maria Cristiana. Mr. Dogaru is a Catholic Byzantine priest who has been working in the Italo-Albanian Diocese of Lungro in southern Italy since 2002. Mrs. Dogaru worked as a nurse before becoming a full-time stay-at-home mother to take care of her girls. Both parents speak several languages, including English.



The parents have very few financial resources, and when their twins were born, they contacted the World Craniofacial Foundation for help. Each year the foundation brings children with serious craniofacial conditions to Medical City Children’s for treatment. When the foundation agreed to finance the girls’ trip to Dallas for evaluation, Father Dogaru said, “Thank you for giving us such a hope.” 


Mr. Dogaru and their older daughter Maria recently joined Mrs. Dogaru and the infant girls for a 3-week visit. They are scheduled to return to Italy March 7. Mrs. Dogaru will remain in Dallas until a decision is reached about medical treatment for the twins.

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