Another newspaper, Beijing Science and Technology, joined the rank of official media questioning the effectiveness of the so-called "Xiao's Procedure". On December 8, the paper carried a lengthy report on the upcoming litigation case brought on by two patients against Dr. Xiao Chuanguo and his hospital in a local court.
The report cited that the two patients, children with spinal bifida， were misled by the widely reported "85% success rate" and received the procedure three years ago. The procedure proved to be ineffective and they both suffered from serious side effects in their legs.
More significantly, the reporters found the very first patient of Xiao's Procedure, a boy named Xiao Shanshan (小善善). In 2006, Xiao Shanshan underwent Xiao's Procedure and was claimed to a complete success. His case was reported in many newspapers, inspiring hundreds of spinal bifida patients for the procedure. Dr. Xiao Chuanguo himself has also frequently cited these reports as proof of his success.
The reporters got contact with Xiao Shanshan's mother, who unequivocally stated that Xiao Shanshan's surgery has been a failure. The boy is still wearing diapers today. His mother further claimed that, during the time immediately after the surgery, doctors had Xiao Shanshan drank a lot of water whenever there were media coming to visit. They then used electric stimulus to help Xiao Shanshan pee. After they returned home, Xiao Shanshan never gained the ability to pee on his own. The only thing doctors tell them is that things may get better as the boy grows older.
That has obviously not happened yet.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
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