Sao Paulo - A one-year-old conjoined twin separated from her sister in a complex operation in Brazil last month has died after failing to recover from the surgery, the doctor responsible for the operation said on Monday.
The girl, Maria Luiza, "did not survive due to problems inherent to her condition," pediatric surgeon Zacharias Calil, of the children's hospital in the central city of Goiania, said.
"Although we're very sad about this, it is not considered a defeat," he said.
The other twin, Maria Luana, "is doing better each day" and no longer requires dialysis, he explained.
The two girls, who were joined at the torso and hip, and who shared three legs, were born to a poor family in northeastern Brazil.
They were separated March 30 in a 600,000-dollar operation that lasted 14 hours and involved 40 medical staff.