Formerly conjoined twin Adeline Faith Mata discharged from Texas Children's Hospital

Adeline to join sister who was discharged on May 8

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Jun 10, 2015, 08:00 ET

HOUSTON, June 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, formerly conjoined twin Adeline Faith Mata was discharged from Texas Children's Hospital where she and her sister, Knatalye Hope, underwent a successful separation surgery on Feb. 17. She now joins her sister Knatalye, who was discharged on May 8.

The Mata family celebrates as formerly conjoined twins Adeline Faith and Knatalye Hope are both home after more than a year at Texas Children's Hospital. Discharged on June 9, Adeline joined her sister Knatalye who was discharged on May 8.

"We are so pleased with the progress of both Adeline and Knatalye following their first-of-its-kind separation surgery earlier this year," said Dr. Darrell Cass, pediatric surgeon, co-director of Texas Children's Fetal Center and associate professor of surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. "They will both require additional therapies as they continue to grow, but we are thrilled with their outcomes and are optimistic they will continue to do very well."

The family will reside in Houston temporarily for follow-up appointments at the hospital before returning to their hometown of Lubbock.

"The past year has been such a whirlwind for our family and we are so thankful we can finally have both girls home with us," said Elysse Mata, mother of the twins. "In addition to the great care our girls received, the thoughts, prayers and outpouring of love from the community really helped get us through the last year and we are grateful for everyone's continued support."

About the Mata twins

Knatalye and Adeline were born on April 11 at 3:41 a.m. at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, estimated to weigh 3 pounds, 7 ounces each. Delivered via Caesarean-section at 31 weeks gestation, Knatalye and Adeline were welcomed by their parents, Elysse and John Eric Mata, and their 5-year-old brother, Azariah.

The family learned during a routine ultrasound on Jan. 13, 2014 that Elysse was carrying twins and they were conjoined. Subsequently, the family was referred to Texas Children's Fetal Center where they underwent extensive prenatal imaging, multidisciplinary consultation and development of plans to achieve a safe delivery and postnatal care.

The girls spent the first 10 months of their lives in the Level IV neonatal intensive care unit at Texas Children's. In December 2014, they underwent a five-hour surgery to place custom-made tissue expanders into their chest and abdomen area. The tissue expanders helped to stretch their skin in preparation for the separation surgery. More information about the tissue expansion is available here.

During their historic separation surgery in February, a team of more than 26 clinicians including 12 surgeons, six anesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses, among others, worked together to separate the girls who shared a chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis. During the complex surgery, the team worked for approximately 23 hours on Knatalye and 26 hours on Adeline with the official separation occurring approximately 18 hours into the surgery. Among the surgical subspecialties involved were pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, cardiovascular surgery, urology, liver transplant surgery, orthopedic surgery and pediatric gynecology. Read more about the separation surgery here.

Following their separation surgery, the girls were cared for by a multidisciplinary team in the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit before moving to lower-acuity units prior to discharge. Both girls also underwent additional surgeries including the removal of rods from their pelvises and the placement of a gastrostomy button in each girl. Adeline also underwent a tracheostomy surgery in April to aid in her breathing and lung development and was discharged on a ventilator to provide additional breathing support. Knatalye and Adeline continue to receive physical and occupational therapy after recovering from surgery and will be carefully followed by pediatric subspecialty experts.

"When I first met the Mata family and learned of the diagnosis, I was optimistic we would have a positive outcome," Cass adds. "It is with great joy to watch them leave the hospital and I look forward to the day Elysse shares with me pictures of them walking into kindergarten together."

About Texas Children's Hospital

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Center for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, a second community hospital planned to open in 2017. The organization also created the nation's first HMO for children, has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Contact:
Veronika Javor Romeis
c: 713-837-6289/ o: 832-824-2157
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150610/222056

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital