Successful operation on Chinese girl's duplicated organs

A 13-year-old Chinese girl who was born with duplicated, or "duplex," organs has received kidney surgery in southwest China's Sichuan Province, a local hospital said on Tuesday. Born with duplex kidneys, two bladders, two uteruses and four fallopian tubes, Lanlan (alias) was diagnosed with a rare condition of congenital malformation of multi-system and multi-organ duplication, according to Hu Xianliang, vice president of the Women and Children's Center Hospital in the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Hu said both of Lanlan's kidneys are duplex and fused to the other. Each has a separate ureter, meaning that she has four kidneys and four ureters. It is thought that the abnormality was caused during gestation. Doctors believe that Lanlan's mother was carrying twins, the embryo of one of which failed to grow into a child and instead fused with the other. Lanlan received surgeries on her genital system and digestive system in 2004 in a hospital in the southern city of Guangzhou. "The surgeries in 2004 have fixed some of her malfunctioning organs," according to Hu, who operated the surgery. His operation on her duplex kidneys on Jan. 21 was also successful. "The girl will be released soon and will return to an ordinary life," he said.