RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Hospital officials in Virginia say two 20-month-old infant girls who had been conjoined twins were released Friday to a recovery facility near the VCU campus.
Maria and Theresa Tapia were on track to go home to the Dominican Republic by Christmas, officials at Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University announced Friday.
The girls' next stop will be Hospital Hospitality House, a recovery facility.
"The girls' recovery since the surgery has been excellent," said Dr. David Lanning, chief surgeon at Children's Hospital. "We are really pleased with their progress and are looking forward to getting them out of the hospital and into the Hospital Hospitality House."
"Overall," he added, "I don't think we could have asked for a better outcome."
The sisters were brought to Richmond by the charity World Pediatric Project and underwent 20 hours of separation surgery in early November. The Richmond Times-Dispatch said the operation was the first such procedure ever performed at VCU.
