Ischiopagi comes from the Greek word ischio- meaning hip (ilium) and -pagus meaning fixed or united. It is the medical term used for conjoined twins (Class V) who are united at the pelvis. The twins are classically joined with the vertebral axis at 180°. The conjoined twins usually have four arms; two, three or four legs; and typically one external genitalia and anus.[1]
It is mostly confused with pygopagus where the twins are joined dorsally at the buttocks facing away from each other, whereas ischiopagus twins are joined ventrally and caudally at the sacrum and coccyx. Parapagus is also similar to ischiopagus; however, parapagus twins are joined side-by-side whereas ischiopagus twins typically have spines connected at a 180° angle, facing away from one another.[2][3]
- ^ Duplicata incompleta, dicephalus dipus dibrachius Archived 2009-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, 2008-06-20
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Spencer, Rowena (2003). Conjoined Twins: Developmental Malformations and Clinical Implications. JHU Press. pp. 184–193. ISBN 9780801870705.