The Xiao procedure successfully treats urinary incontinence in children with congenital spina bifida from Heilongjiang

Xiao Bin, a boy from Heilongjiang born with congenital spina bifida, couldn’t hide his excitement as he was discharged from Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital in Shenzhen today. He wished to jump out of bed and run around, but his recovery from surgery didn’t allow it yet. However, soon, he’ll be able to play, run, and stand to urinate just like other boys.

Xiao Bin’s grandfather, a veteran of the revolutionary era, has always seen him as a strong and optimistic child, despite being diagnosed with congenital spina bifida at birth. This condition led to urinary incontinence and difficulty urinating from a young age. Fortunately, Xiao Bin’s feet were not as severely deformed as those of many children with spina bifida; only his buttock muscles were slightly atrophied.

Xiao Bin’s parents sought treatment at many hospitals. Initially, local doctors believed his condition was untreatable, so his mother took him to the Beijing Air Force General Hospital. Diagnosed with lumbar-sacral spina bifida and tethered cord syndrome, treatments there did not improve his condition. Despite visiting several major hospitals in Beijing, his urinary issues remained unresolved. The enormous medical expenses nearly overwhelmed his family, who considered giving up before receiving aid from a charity organization in Haidian District, Beijing.

With their support, Xiao Bin arrived at Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital in Shenzhen, the best urology specialty hospital in China for treating congenital myelomeningocele and urinary incontinence due to spina bifida. Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo carefully reviewed Xiao Bin’s medical history and conducted detailed examinations of his lumbar-sacral region and lower limbs, complemented by lumbar spine MRI and urodynamic studies. The diagnosis was neurogenic bladder, tethered cord syndrome, and lumbar-sacral spina bifida, with a history of surgical treatment for a burst fracture of the first lumbar vertebra and a fracture of the left lateral malleolus. Professor Xiao stated that surgery could cure all of Xiao Bin’s conditions.

On the third day of admission, Professor Xiao performed the Xiao procedure (artificial somatic-autonomic reflex pathway surgery), spinal nerve untethering, and spinal canal expansion decompression. The surgeries, lasting several hours, went very smoothly. Xiao Bin is expected to urinate normally within six months to a year after surgery. To protect his lumbar region, he needs to wear special support, but Xiao Bin always wants to move around. Seeing his increasing smiles, both his mother and grandfather are deeply relieved. His 80-year-old grandfather expressed profound gratitude to Professor Xiao, saying, “We haven’t seen Xiao Bin this happy in a long time. Now that he’s cured, his life will only get better.”

As Xiao Bin and his family prepare to return to Heilongjiang, the caring staff at Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital even arranged their flight tickets. Xiao Bin happily said he can’t wait to go home and play with his friends, thanking the hospital staff for curing his condition.