This study aimed to identify the anatomic and pathologic structural @entity299 in conjoined twins and to focus on those that have prevented the successful separation of conjoined hearts. A retrospective review was undertaken to examine consecutive cases of @entity7411 with conjoined hearts evaluated at The @entity1 's Hospital of Philadelphia from 1 January 1980 through 6 October 2008. The records included autopsy and surgical findings as well as clinical reports. The study group included nine sets of conjoined twins with a mean gestational age at birth of 33.8    5.5 weeks. Three twin pairs were stillborn. Five twin pairs died afterward. One pair died of @entity177 . The median age at death was 22 days (range, 0-345 days). Major @entity299 was present in 94.4% (17/18) of the hearts, and 72.2% (13/18) of the hearts had single-ventricle physiology. @entity1700 pulmonary @entity1700 occurred in 39% (7/18) of the cases. The clinical outcome for @entity17317 with conjoined hearts remains poor because of inability to separate conjoined and single ventricles. Surgical nonintervention and palliative care should be strongly considered for these @entity1 .

Conjoined hearts in XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'Children'] @entity1700 :: ('MESH:D012587', 'Disease') :: ['Total anomalous', 'venous return'] @entity7411 :: ('MESH:D014428', 'Disease') :: ['thoracopagus conjoined twins'] @entity177 :: ('MESH:D051437', 'Disease') :: ['cardiopulmonary failure'] @entity299 :: ('MESH:D006331', 'Disease') :: ['cardiac abnormalities', 'congenital heart disease'] @entity17317 :: ('MESH:D004200', 'Disease') :: ['thoracopagus twins']
@entity17317 :: (MESH:D004200,Disease) :: ['thoracopagus twins']
