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Rebeca Martínez (December 10, 2003 - February 7, 2004) was an infant from the Dominican Republic who was born with two heads, a case reported by news agencies across the world. She was the daughter of Franklin Antonio Martínez (born in 1974) and María Gisela Hiciano (born in 1977). Her parents have two other children, who were then aged 4 and 1.
Martínez had a parasitic twin, an extremely rare case where one of two conjoined twins stop growing as a fetus. She had a condition known as craniopagus parasiticus. There have only been eight (now nine?) known cases of this condition through history, and Rebeca was the first of those eight not to die before birth. Twins born conjoined at the head are extremely rare, accounting for one of every 2.5 million births. Parasitic twins like Rebeca are even rarer.
The surgery was necessary because the second head was growing faster than the first one. The pressure from the developing head, attached to the top of the first and facing up, would prevent Rebeca's brain from developing. By the time she was three months old, if they left it attached, Rebeca would barely be able to lift her head. Besides being the first surgery of its kind, this surgery was risky because the two heads shared arteries.
Rebeca's parents were told that she would be born with a tumor on her head but none of the prenatal tests showed a second head.
The second head was only partially developed, with a partially developed brain, ears, eyes and lips. It's mouth would move when Rebeca was breast feeding. Tests indicated some activity in the second brain
Rebeca Martínez went into surgery at Santo Domingo, on February 6, to try to remove her extra head. Because she had been the first person to be born with her condition, this was also the first operation of its type in history. Doctor Jorge Lazareff, who had successfully separated Guatemalan conjoined twins in 2002, led the historic operation, which lasted 11 hours. On the morning of February 7, she died from complications related to the surgery.
Rebeca died from heart attacks and major hemorrhaging due to loss of blood. She may have been too little to withstand the surgery, and doctors said her heart was accustomed to beating faster to pump out more blood for the second head.
In a similar case, an Egyptian baby named Manar Maged underwent the operation at a hospital in the city of Banha, 40 km, 25 miles, north of Cairo February 19, 2005. Egyptian doctors removed a second head from the 10-month-old girl. Manar is still alive as of March 3rd, 2005.