According to Director Sun Jun's introduction, as age increases, the赘生物will also increase, and the disease will become more severe. If the child cannot receive timely treatment, the nerves and blood vessels around the intraspinal lipoma will adhere to the lipoma, thereby pulling on the spinal cord. If the tethering is not resolved as soon as possible, the spinal cord will be further pulled, and when the child is two or three years old, adverse symptoms such as clubfoot, incontinence, and reduced muscle tone in the lower limbs will appear, and once they appear, they will not be able to fully recover.
Yesterday afternoon, Director Sun Jun of the orthopedics department at the Provincial Children's Hospital conducted another examination on Hong Hong. When the tightly wrapped blanket was opened, the sight before me shocked the reporter: On Hong Hong's small buttocks, there was a "little tail" about 12 centimeters long and 3 centimeters in diameter. Because there were no bones, the "little tail" was red and lay on her buttocks.
Yesterday, I met Hou's family from Lixin County in our province at the Provincial Children's Hospital. The little girl was plump and very adorable, but the family was very worried. Mr. Hou told the reporter that Hong Hong was his first granddaughter, born in Zhejiang by cesarean section. Just after the surgery ended, the doctor informed the child's parents of this news. Upon hearing the news, Mr. Hou hurried to Zhejiang, and the first thing he did was immediately open the baby blanket of his granddaughter. Despite being mentally prepared, he was still shocked, "There was a 'tail' about 5-6 cm long and as thick as a thumb on the child's buttocks."
After taking X-rays for examination, Director Sun Jun determined that Hong Hong's lumbar vertebrae were not completely connected together, and an 8-centimeter-sized lipoma had grown near the lumbosacral canal, connected to the "small tail" by a "sinus tract," making this situation relatively rare.
At that time, it was considered to immediately surgically remove the "small tail," but local doctors believed that the child had just been born and was very weak, so they suggested observing for some time before deciding whether surgery was necessary.
Today's surgery carries risks
"The surgery fee hasn't been fully raised yet, and if there are any side effects, where will we get the money to treat them? How will the child live in the future?" Speaking of this, both Mr. Hou and his daughter-in-law shed tears.
"Because there is a lipoma deep inside the vertebral canal, we worry that removing it might harm nerve tissue. Currently, we can only ensure that major nerve tissues are not damaged, but some minor nerve tissues may still be damaged," Director Sun said. "Therefore, the surgery carries certain risks, and Hong Hong may experience side effects."
The first case discovered in our province
Four months ago, when Hong Hong (a pseudonym) was just born, the doctor said, "The child has a small tail." Four months later, the "small tail" which was originally as thick as a finger and 5-6 centimeters long, grew into a "big one" 12 centimeters long and 3 centimeters in diameter. Looking at the lovely child, the family didn't even celebrate the Spring Festival well, worrying about what to do with the child?
Later, Hong Hong returned to her hometown with her mother. In order to keep the neighbors from knowing that the child had a "tail," the family always kept Hong Hong tightly wrapped. Every night, they would check the "small tail" hoping it would shrink. But to their disappointment, Hong Hong's tail grew faster and larger. After the Spring Festival, the "small tail" nearly doubled in size. Realizing the severity of the situation, they quickly came to the Provincial Children's Hospital for treatment.
When Hong Hong woke up due to movement, she saw strangers but showed no shyness, smiling sweetly like a little angel. No one would have thought that such an adorable little girl actually had a "tail," truly heart-wrenching!
According to Sun Jun, this disease is extremely rare, with an incidence rate of approximately one in a million. To his knowledge, there are currently no precedents in our province. Hong Hong's "small tail" is a type of growth, belonging to the special manifestations of intraspinal lesions. Although it is just a tumor, its specific nature will need to be analyzed through biopsy after the surgery.
It is understood that the experts from the Provincial Children's Hospital have already formulated a detailed surgical plan. This morning, the experts will perform surgery on Hong Hong.
In four months, the "tail" grew twice its original size.