The 33-year-old man, who lives in Pingtung and loves photography. After graduating from high school, Mr. Chen took photography as his occupation, but he suffered from headaches for a long time. For the past seven years, whenever the disease occurred, he had to squat down and bury his head between his knees to relieve the discomfort. In May of 2016, his condition worsened. Not only did he often choke on drinking water, he couldn't even swallow. After going to the hospital, he was diagnosed with "syringomyelia". After the joint efforts of doctors from Taichung and Kaohsiung, he recovered well after the operation.
Mr. Chen said that he underwent brain surgery due to a car accident when he was 18 years old. However, due to blood stasis in the brain, his head was often swollen and painful. The postoperative condition was not ideal. Then he found that he could not stand up for half an hour. Mr. Chen said he had to squat down every 15 minutes and bury his head between knees to reduce brain pressure, and his right hand is often numb and unable to lift up. The symptoms gradually extend from the little finger to the ring finger, and even walking requires the help of others, making life extremely inconvenient.
This situation lasted for more than seven years. He almost gave up his interest in photography because he could not lift the camera. Until May and June of 2016, Mr. Chen choked on drinking water, and in August, he couldn’t swallow food. He went to a hospital in Pingtung to see a doctor. After several days of nutritional injections, the condition still did not improve. Therefore, he was quickly transfered to the hospital affiliated to Kaohsiung Medical University.
Diagnosed by neurosurgery Dr. Guan Aili, Mr. Chen suffered from a rare disease called syringomyelia. At the recommendation of Guan Aili, the patient was transferred to the Asia University Hospital, where Lin Chi Long, the director of neurosurgery of the hospital, performed the operation.
Due to Mr. Chen's previous experience of neurological trauma, it is easy to cause nerve adhesion, resulting in the formation of post-traumatic syringomyelia.
The syringomyelia extends from the cervical vertebra to the brain, with a length of more than 30 cm, which is the longest syringomyelia surgery Dr. Lin ever performed in 21 years.
Since Mr. Chen has endured for so long, and there is a possibility of death at any time.
Also, because the patient's spine is sticky and the cavity is too wide, it is impossible to use traditional drainage surgery to solve the cavity problem. Instead, Dr. Lin used the self-created "cavity - fourth ventricle" drainage operation to restore the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid to reduce discomfort caused by spinal cord compression.
After the operation, Mr. Chen felt that the pain in the head was relieved, and the muscle strength of his right hand increased, and he could start to move on his own.
He also used this experience to inspire himself. No matter how many illnesses he encountered, as long as he had confidence, he would definitely be able to overcome the illness.
【小字典】何謂「空洞－第四腦室」引流手術？
傳統的脊椎空洞症手術，是在脊椎積水的部份插入一小截管子，讓水從管子流出去。但此法易破壞該脊髓附近神經，即便患者痊癒後，仍會有後遺症發生。「空洞－第四腦室」引流手術，藉由在第四腦室和脊椎連接的部份插入引流管，讓整條脊椎的積水從引流管流出去。雖然此手術風險較高，若醫師技術不精，容易傷害患者的延腦，導致患者術後無法自主呼吸；但若手術成功，則病人術後不但能盡速回歸正常生活，且不易有後遺症。
