One-year-old twin girls, conjoined at the head, were successfully separated during a 14-hour operation led by a leading British surgeon, using mixed reality, Sky News reports.

Professor Noor ul Owase Jeelani from Great Ormond Street Hospital used leading mixed reality technology to complete the complex procedure on Minal and Mirha in Turkey. As reported, the babies are recovering in hospital and are expected to make full recoveries and lead normal lives when they return home to Pakistan next month.

The operation at the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital on July 19, which included a local team of medics, required two surgical stages and was completed over three months, with the final surgery taking 14 hours.

The girls, who were born in Pakistan, are called craniopagus twins because they are joined at the head. They shared vital blood vessels and brain tissue and separation of the pair required extremely intricate surgery.

Mixed reality (MR) combines 3D images with the physical world and is used to increase precision during complex operations. It enhances a surgeon's view of a patient by mixing digital content - like 3D scans - while remaining in the real world.