Extreme News Reporter Yan Wen
Correspondent Yang Cen
Severe hunchback, upper body twisted into an “S” shape, unequal lower limbs leading to inability to walk normally, chest visibly compressed causing breathing difficulties… Recently, 12-year-old girl Xiao Chi (pseudonym) who suffers from severe scoliosis deformity combined with severe respiratory dysfunction, has undergone a successful highly challenging spinal orthopedic surgery at Wuhan University People’s Hospital (Hubei Provincial People’s Hospital) under the guidance of Professor Guo Weichun, Director of the Spine 1 Department, and a multidisciplinary team for over half a year. After the surgery, her original “U” shaped spine appearance significantly improved, her breathing condition noticeably better, and she has returned to school to resume her normal learning life.
Director Guo Weichun leading multidisciplinary discussion for surgery planning
Xiao Chi, from Wuxue, Hubei, brought immense joy to her family upon birth. However, when she was just 1 year old, her spine looked crooked, alarming her parents as it seemed “abnormal”. After medical examinations, she was diagnosed with “congenital scoliosis”. Due to her young age, surgery correction was not recommended, and it was suggested to provide her with a customized brace for corrective purposes. However, wearing the brace made Xiao Chi cry all day, feeling sorry for their child, her parents thought she might grow out of it considering her young age, so they let her be and did not insist on wearing it.
As time passed, Xiao Chi grew up and began to develop a hunchback, with her upper body twisted, often panting heavily with any movement, engaging in physical education classes or playing with other kids became a luxury. A year ago, with accelerated growth and development, Xiao Chi’s spinal deformity worsened, resulting in pelvic tilt, unequal lower limbs, inability to walk normally, and significant chest compression, making breathing difficult and eventually unable to attend school normally.
Witnessing all of this, the parents, unwilling to give up, sought help from many hospitals only to be informed of the extremely high surgical risks, great difficulties, and low success rates, with a high probability of paralysis due to corrective surgery. Determined not to give up, the parents were introduced to Wuhan University People’s Hospital Spine 1 Department by someone in late 2023 seeking help.
When Professor Guo Weichun, Director of the Spine 1 Department, examined Xiao Chi, he noticed the extreme thinness of the child. After 12 years of growth, her entire spine was crooked, with curves and angles above 150°, nearly forming a right angle at the most curved point, resembling a large “U” shape, making corrective surgery extremely challenging. Following laboratory and imaging examinations, it was discovered that due to severe scoliosis, Xiao Chi also had severe respiratory dysfunction.
After comprehensive assessment, Professor Guo Weichun truthfully informed the parents of the child: if left untreated, the condition would worsen, potentially leading to missed surgical opportunities due to respiratory failure. To save their daughter’s life, Xiao Chi’s parents decided to cooperate with the doctors and take a chance.
Considering Xiao Chi’s severe scoliosis, poor physical condition, and severe respiratory dysfunction, making her temporarily unable to withstand high-intensity surgery, Professor Guo Weichun invited experts from the Intensive Care Medicine Department, Pediatrics, Thoracic Surgery, Anesthesiology, and others at Wuhan University People’s Hospital to form an MDT team. After thorough discussions, a treatment plan was decided upon: traction treatment first, reinforced with nutritional support, respiratory training, and preparing for corrective surgery once the child’s overall condition improved.
In December of last year, under the guidance of Professor Guo Weichun’s team, Xiao Chi began continuous skull-pelvic ring traction, which helped reduce the risk of nerve damage during surgery, improved nutritional status and lung function, setting the stage for spinal corrective surgery. After 6 months of traction treatment, Xiao Chi’s curvature angle reduced slightly, her chest space increased, and she gained 15 kilograms in weight. Based on this progress, the core members of Professor Guo Weichun’s team crafted a detailed surgical plan for Xiao Chi and prepared a 3D spinal deformity model for discussion of the surgical approach.
On June 18th this year, Xiao Chi was wheeled into the operating room. Due to the severe deformity, with extreme rotation and sharp angles in the most curved area of her spine, the expert team meticulously dissected layer by layer to avoid damage to surrounding vital structures, clearing the surgical area.
The surgery lasted from 10:40 in the morning until 11 in the evening, with the joint efforts of Professor Guo Weichun, Professor Yu Ling, and the surgical and anesthetic teams, the surgery was successfully completed. After the operation, Xiao Chi was transferred to the ICU, and the next day moved to a general ward, with all vital signs stable. Post-surgery, not only was Xiao Chi’s scoliosis corrected, but her lung condition also significantly improved compared to before, her limbs’ sensation and muscle strength now normal, much to the relief of her parents.
According to relevant data, there are over 5 million cases of scoliosis among primary and secondary school students in China, increasing at a rate of around 300,000 per year. Following obesity and myopia, scoliosis has discreetly become the third most harmful disease to the health of Chinese children and adolescents. Scoliosis not only affects physical appearance but also leads to muscle tension, causing back pain. Severe scoliosis can compress organs in the chest and abdomen, affecting heart-lung function, digestion, resulting in breathing difficulties, and eating challenges.
It is important to note that idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type of scoliosis in children and adolescents, accounting for approximately 75%-80%, with an incidence rate of about 3%. Idiopathic scoliosis often occurs between 10 and 14 years old, rapidly progressing due to peak growth and development, hindering growth and development, leading to noticeable physical deformities such as hunchback, short torso, reduced height, and in severe cases, nerve compression eventually leading to disability.
Professor Guo Weichun mentioned that complex spinal corrective surgery demands extremely high expertise and technical proficiency from the surgeon. In such surgeries, the range of bone cutting, screw insertion, and correcting force leave no room for error, as even slight mistakes can lead to lower limb nerve dysfunction or paralysis, ultimately causing surgical failure. Complex spinal deformity corrective surgery, like Xiao Chi’s, which was previously considered high risk with many complications, is now performed at Wuhan University People’s Hospital Spine Department at a pioneering national level due to their tireless efforts. If parents notice abnormalities such as “uneven shoulders,” “flat lying spine with incomplete posterior or anterior curvature disappearance” in their children, they should promptly seek medical attention at a major hospital’s spinal department.
(Images provided by Wuhan University People’s Hospital)
(Source: Extreme News)
