Conjoined twins 'critical but stable' after separation

The Guatemalan twin girls whose heads were prised apart in Los Angeles this week were said to be doing well yesterday, although their doctors said it would be several days before they were out of danger.

Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus Quiej-Alvarez, who turned one last month, had their skulls separated in a 22-hour groundbreaking procedure that began first thing on Monday morning.

Shortly after leaving the operating theatre, Maria Teresa was rushed back in for another five hours of surgery to correct a build-up of blood on her brain. It was not clear what had caused the emergency but the team at the Mattel children's hospital at the University of California – more than 50 doctors and nurses – said complications could arise in the next week or so.

"The situation will remain life-threatening for both the twins for several days," said Michael Karpf, director of the UCLA medical centre. According to the official bulletin, they remained in critical but stable condition.