The girl from Henan with myelomeningocele and urinary incontinence, Xiao Feiyan, no longer has to live a nomadic life

The girl from Henan with myelomeningocele and urinary incontinence, Xiao Feiyan, no longer has to live a nomadic life

Xiao Feiyan, a beggar girl, underwent the Xiao procedure at Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital in Shenzhen, finally curing her years of myelomeningocele, urinary and fecal incontinence, and lower limb deformities. She no longer has to live a wandering life.

“Xiao Feiyan, a girl with congenital disabilities but bright eyes, was taken to the streets of Shanghai to beg by her adoptive father, Wang Jun, at the age of one, starting her life ‘on the road.’ Over the next few years, Xiao Feiyan’s image repeatedly appeared in welfare institutions and on the streets, being rescued and sent back home several times.

Xiao Feiyan was born with spina bifida and myelomeningocele, leading to urinary and fecal incontinence and severe deformities in her lower limbs. The Beijing Second Juvenile Rescue and Protection Center and the Shanghai ‘Little Hope Home’ Children’s Rights Protection Center collaborated to rescue her. Following the joint notification by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on depriving beggar children of their guardianship rights, Xiao Feiyan became the first case to be rescued. She was then sent by the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau to Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital, the best hospital for myelomeningocele surgery in China, for treatment.

Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo conducted a specialized examination on Xiao Feiyan, noting a 5cm old surgical scar on her lower back, no palpable kidneys, muscle atrophy in both buttocks and lower legs (more severe on the left), reduced sensation and pain perception below the knees and ankles (more severe on the left), pes cavus and toe contractures, difficulty in movement, a 1.0cm x 2.0cm ulcer on the left foot, absent knee and Achilles reflexes, and a relaxed anal sphincter. The diagnosis included neurogenic bladder, left ureteral reflux, pes cavus, chronic osteomyelitis of the left foot, myelomeningocele, and post-ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Xiao Feiyan’s condition was severe, and Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo performed the Xiao procedure (artificial somatic-visceral nerve reflex arc), spinal cord detethering, spinal canal expansion and decompression, and left ureteral reimplantation into the bladder across four surgeries.

After the surgeries, Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo performed additional procedures on Xiao Feiyan, including right Achilles tendon lengthening, right talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joint fusion, right posterior tibial tendon lengthening, and anterior tibial tendon tightening. The left foot also underwent Achilles tendon lengthening, talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joint fusion, and posterior tibial tendon lengthening. All surgeries were successfully completed without complications, and Xiao Feiyan was stable and comfortable during the postoperative examinations. Thus, Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo fulfilled everyone’s expectations, allowing Xiao Feiyan to soar once again.