Two female Siamese twins joined at the head were separated by surgeons at Rome's Bambino Gesù children's hospital last month, in the first such case in Italy and possibly the world, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

The twins, from the Central African Republic, had been joined since birth from the back of the head, with their cranium and much of their vein system in common, hospital sources told ANSA. The girls were separated on 5 June during a risky 18-hour operation, following three extremely delicate operations over the previous year.