Twins meet surgeon who saved their lives before they were born

24 March 2025 - The boys have been named after the eminent professor

Eight-month-old twin boys from Haywards Heath have been reunited with the surgeon who saved their lives while they were still in their mother’s womb.

Little Kai Kypros and Asher Nicolas, who have been named after Professor Kypros Nicolaides, paid a visit to the world-renowned surgeon, along with their eternally grateful parents, Katerina and Arcadius.

Katerina Ahouansou was six months pregnant with the twins when a routine scan identified a problem with their development. They were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a condition whereby one twin receives more blood and nourishment than the other due to vessels in the placenta not being evenly distributed.

She was referred to Professor Nicolaides at King’s College Hospital, who specialises in a laser technique to redistribute the blood supply.

Professor Nicolaides said, “When I scanned Katerina, I could see that one twin was a third bigger than the other. The bigger twin was taking blood and nutrition from his smaller brother, and there was a very high chance that if we didn’t intervene, both twins could die.”

As a matter of urgency, Professor Nicolaides carried out the 30-minute laser procedure, which involves inserting a thin telescope with a laser into the uterus to burn the abnormal vessels that connect the twins.

Katerina was able to return home later that day, and an improvement in the size of the smaller twin was apparent within a week.

At 33 weeks gestation, Katerina gave birth to twin boys, weighing 1.5kg and 1.7kg. She knew instantly that her family wanted to pay tribute to the man who saved their lives.

Speaking at the reunion, Katerina said of Professor Nicolaides, “We named one of the twins Kai Kypros and the other Asher Nicolas in honour of Professor Kypros Nicolaides. He is an amazing man – he gives life.”

Kai and Asher spent the first five weeks of their lives in hospital before being discharged home to be with their mum, dad, brothers and sisters.

Mum of 11 Katerina added, “Being a mum is the most beautiful experience to me. In the last few years, I had been dreaming about the beauty of having twins. Being a twin myself, I hoped it was something I could experience.

“I’ve never wanted a quiet house, to me, noise is life, and I have Professor Nicolaides to thank for making my dream come true.

“Although I am not a religious person, I believe Professor Nicolaides is proof that miracles can be performed by people who are devotees to their profession. I’m so thankful to him and I never once doubted the success of the procedure he performed on the twins.”

Professor Kypros Nicolaides has worked at King’s College Hospital since 1980 and is one of the pioneers of fetal medicine. Patients from a wide geographical area can referred to his service.

Among his many achievements, Professor Nicolaides has researched and developed screening techniques in pregnancy, such as the fetal nuchal translucency test, which is conducted to help assess the risk of Down syndrome and other generic conditions in unborn babies.

He has also developed techniques to screen for premature birth, which is the main cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, and for pre-eclampsia, which left untreated can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby.

Professor Nicolaides is also at the forefront of innovation, having pioneered surgical techniques on unborn babies to treat conditions such as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and diaphragmatic hernias, a rare condition where the diaphragm does not form completely during pregnancy, affecting development of the baby’s lungs. This was showcased in the 2020 Netflix documentary, The Surgeon’s Cut.