[Siamese twins: anesthesia, pre-per- and post-operative care (author's transl)]

The authors relate the anesthetic and pre-, per- and post-operative care problems they had to meet with six pairs of siamese twins separated at the Hôpital des Enfants Malades (Paris), between 1960 and 1978. 77 cases of such anomalies have been reported since the beginning of the XXth century. The authors point out the importance of: 1) a precise pre-operative assessment of the anatomo- and physiopathological status of the conjoined twins, 2) an outstanding technical organization, 3) a medical and nursing team specialized in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care to face with the predictable and unpredictable problems which may occur, specially those which the clinical and paraclinical investigations have not been able to discover before the operation.