Conjoined twins op 'going well'

Trishna and Krishna were taken to Australia when they were very young

Doctors in Australia say a marathon operation to separate conjoined twins is going very well.

Bangladeshi twins Trishna and Krishna, who are nearly three years old, are joined at the top of the head.

The operation began at 2300GMT on Sunday and was still continuing after more than 24 hours.

The 16-strong team has almost completely separated the girls' brains which a hospital spokesman said was "slow, meticulous work".

Anaesthetist Dr Ian McKenzie told Associated Press news agency on Tuesday the condition of the girls was improving as their bodies began to work more individually.

"It's going very well so far," he told reporters. "The twins are actually in better condition because the degree of separation has increased."

ABC News Australia reported that most of the actual brain tissue has now been disconnected.

The girls were close to death when they arrived in Australia two years ago and they have already had several preparatory operations.

They were flown to Australia by the Children First Foundation, because of the poor survival rates after similar operations in Bangladesh.

However, doctors say the chance of a successful separation is still one in four.

They estimate there is a 25% chance one of the sisters will die, and a 50% chance the girls will suffer brain damage.

(Edit:Ruby)