Doctor: I warned twins over surgery

A top neurosurgeon who refused to operate on the Bijani twins because he deemed it too risky has spoken of his sadness that he had been proved right.

Dr Madjid Samii was approached by Ladan and Laleh in 1988 to perform the operation that killed them.

'I explained to the family and to the girls and all doctors who contacted me that it was impossible to do the surgery,' said Dr Samii, president of Hanover's International Neuroscience Institute.

'When I heard they were going to do it, I was very surprised because I was convinced there was no chance of success.'

The twins' adoptive father last night expressed bitterness that the historic, 52-hour operation had been allowed to go ahead in Singapore.

Alireza Safaian, who is also medically qualified, said: 'When they took them to Singapore, I knew they would bring back their bodies. They took them there and killed them.

'Me and my brother, who is a doctor in Germany, we told everyone that this separation surgery was impossible. Nobody would listen.'

But the 29-year old Iranian twins said last month they were prepared to risk death for a life apart.

Dr Loo Choon Yong, head of Raffles Hospital where the marathon operation took place, said: 'When we undertook this, we knew one of the scenarios was that we may lose

both of them. Ladan and Laleh knew that too.'

Ladan, who was considered more at risk because a vein she shared with her sister was replaced with one taken from her thigh, began losing blood and died at 2.30pm local time.

Surgery continued on Laleh but she passed away 90minutes later.

There was shock and tears among scores of the women's friends and family gathered at the hospital. And the deaths plunged the sisters'home country into grief.

'It is a sad day for Iran,' vice-president Mohammad Ali Abtahi said. 'Many people around the world hoped these two would be rescued.'

The operation has reawakened ethical concerns over high-risk surgery when there is no immediate risk to life.