Chinese surgeons open new chapter for Indian "folded boy"

SHANGHAI, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Nineteen months after life-changing spinal surgery in Shanghai, Indian teenager Dalwani, known as the "folded boy," returned to hospital for follow-up tests that showed normal spinal alignment, restored cardiopulmonary function and the sustained correction of his spinal deformity. Now standing upright, the 16-year-old boy aspires to become an athlete.

Dalwani's medical troubles began in 2020, when a fever led to a diagnosis of anti-glycine receptor antibody-positive progressive encephalomyelitis. Beyond causing severe scoliosis, the rare disorder triggered multiple-organ and peripheral nerve dysfunction.

Over subsequent years, Dalwani and his family sought treatment at many hospitals across India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore, yet most physicians refused to undertake surgical treatment due to extreme risks. During this period, his spinal deformity progressed from a scoliosis curvature of under 100 degrees to 162 degrees and a kyphosis curve of 109 degrees, accompanied by significant trunk imbalance and severe respiratory dysfunction.

In May 2023, Dalwani's family brought him to the Xin Hua Hospital, which is affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Yang Junlin, chief of the hospital's spinal surgery department, remembers the then 14-year-old's presenting condition: "He stood just 1.38 meters tall and his spine was nearly folded in half. Chronic steroid use had caused critical osteoporosis."

A multidisciplinary team devised a staged strategy for the Indian teen. First, they controlled the patient's underlying autoimmune disease, then they used traction therapy to loosen his rigid deformity while improving his respiratory capacity and nutrition.

Finally, they performed a high-risk spinal osteotomy-correction surgery. "It was seven hours of high-wire surgical precision," Yang said. "Any misstep risked paralysis or fatal hemorrhage."

Supported by walking aids initially, he gradually regained mobility through a tailored rehabilitation program.

"I used to be homebound," Dalwani, now standing 1.65 meters tall, told Xinhua. "Now, I go out freely and even play cricket." During follow-up appointments, he inquired about protein supplements and schoolbag weight limits -- ordinary concerns that marked extraordinary progress.

Yang emphasized that unlike routine scoliosis, Dalwani's true mortality risk was in respiratory function. International standards forbid operating on patients with a lung capacity below 30 percent, he said, noting that this is referred to as "death surgery."

"Our breakthrough came through multidisciplinary coordination and advanced technology, minimizing trauma while maximizing correction," he said.

Recently, the hospital's spinal center successfully treated a 12-year-old British girl in a similarly complex case, achieving 80 percent deformity correction. She gained 8 centimeters in height and resumed walking within a week.

"Previously, Chinese patients sought overseas care," Yang noted. "Now, state-supported medical advances have elevated our technology and expertise to international standards -- even surpassing them in certain areas. This attracts global patients to us."

Shanghai's 2023 launch of high-level international medical tourism initiatives has accelerated this trend. Xinhua Hospital has reported 15 percent to 20 percent annual growth in foreign patient numbers -- from 9-month-old infants to 79-year-old retirees, hailing from Russia, the United States, Australia, Germany and beyond.