A boy from Ganzhou with spinal meningocele successfully treated for incontinence at Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital

“Professor Xiao not only restored my son’s ability to feel when he needs to urinate and defecate but also performed a left-side bladder reimplantation surgery, freeing him from the pain of incontinence. For 16 years, he suffered a lot and lacked confidence. This successful surgery will allow him to gradually recover both physically and mentally after returning home. We are deeply grateful to Professor Xiao for giving him this opportunity,”

said the mother of Wang, a boy from Ganzhou with spinal meningocele, after his recovery and discharge from the hospital, crediting Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo with saving their child and giving him a new lease on life.

Wang was born with a 1CM round lump at the sacrococcygeal area, which grew rapidly with age. By the age of four months, the lump had grown to a diameter of 5CM. His parents took him to a local hospital in Ganzhou, where he was diagnosed with congenital myelomeningocele and underwent myelomeningocele repair surgery. After the surgery, Wang experienced incontinence, difficulty urinating, and other symptoms.

As Wang reached puberty, his appetite increased, but due to constipation and difficulty defecating, his parents were cautious about letting him eat too much. Seeing his swollen belly, his parents were both anxious and heartbroken, eventually relying on medication and, when necessary, manual removal to help him defecate. Wang’s life was filled with suffering for over a decade, and his parents took him everywhere seeking treatment. They visited many major hospitals in Shanghai and Guangzhou, but most doctors told them that his condition was untreatable.

Disheartened, his parents had no choice but to take him home and care for him themselves. Wang, who had never attended school due to his condition, envied other children going to school with their backpacks. Growing up in isolation, he became very introverted and shy. Wang’s older brother, a university freshman, was very concerned about his brother’s condition and frequently searched online for treatment options for spinal meningocele and incontinence. After finding Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo’s hospital in Shenzhen and consulting with Professor Xiao himself over the phone, he decided to send his brother to Shenzhen for treatment, believing that Professor Xiao had a high chance of successfully treating his brother.

After being admitted to the hospital, Professor Xiao carefully reviewed Wang’s medical history and conducted a comprehensive pre-surgical examination, including MRI and urodynamics testing. Wang was diagnosed with congenital spinal meningocele post-surgery complications, including left ureteral dilation and right kidney hydronephrosis, due to 16 years of inadequate treatment.

Three days after admission, Professor Xiao performed three surgeries on Wang: untethering of the spinal cord, spinal canal expansion decompression, and the “Xiao procedure” (artificial somatic-visceral reflex arc). The surgeries, lasting over an hour, were completed successfully. Professor Xiao planned to perform a left bladder reconstruction for Wang after his recovery, to also resolve the right kidney hydronephrosis fully, allowing him to urinate and defecate independently like normal children after discharge. Ten days post-surgery, Wang was recovering well. After a consultation by Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo’s expert team, it was decided to perform a left ureteral bladder reimplantation and left ureteral release surgery on Wang.

Successfully undergoing the left ureteral bladder reimplantation and left ureteral release surgery, Wang was finally free from the disease that had tormented him for 16 years. Upon discharge, this shy 16-year-old boy finally showed a rare smile. We believe Wang will recover to live like a normal child, and his future will be brighter and better.