ISCHIOPAGUS twins ('Ischio' is a Greek word for 'hip', 'pagus' for 'fixed' or 'united') are a rare type of conjoined twins who are fused at the pelvis.

In the case of Lakshmi, the other twin stopped growing in her mother's womb, leaving her with extra body parts.

It is a medical complication seen in one among 50,000 cases of ischiopagus twins.

Conjoined twins are rare, occurring once in about every 200,000 births.

They originate from a single fertilised egg, so they are always identical and of the same sex.

The overall survival rate of conjoined twins is between 5 per cent and 25 per cent.

Data over the past 500 years shows only about 600 surviving sets of conjoined twins, more than 70 per cent of whom have been female.