Conjoined twins from N.D. to be separated at Mayo on Wednesday

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) Conjoined twins Abygail and Madysen Fitterer of North Dakota will undergo separation surgery at the Mayo Clinic tomorrow.

The girls from Bismarck are joined at the chest and share their front chest wall. They were born August 8th in Minneapolis to Stacy and Suzy Fitterer.

In October, doctors implanted tissue expanders to stretch the girls' skin enough to close their incisions from the separation surgery.

They will be the second set of conjoined twins from North Dakota to undergo separation surgery at Mayo's Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital in recent months.

Abbigail and Isabelle Carlsen, of Fargo, have been doing well since they were separated in May.

The surgical team planned to hold a news conference Wednesday evening following the operation.

On the Net: Mayo Clinic: http://mayoclinic.org/fitterer-twins (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 01-02-07 1439CST | save this article / add to your favorites list