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SZ hospital cures woman’s almost paralyzed left arm

Writer: Zhang Qian  | Editor: Lily A  | From:  | Updated: 2018-07-25

Thanks to a surgery conducted by Shenzhen People’s Hospital, a mother from Singapore had her left hand cured recently after it was nearly paralyzed due to the influenza virus, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The mother known as Kang recalled how she had started to breastfeed her newborn at the end of last year, but constantly suffered from mastitis during the first month. She came down with a cold and a fever during that time and then started to feel pain in her left arm.

“I insisted on continuing breastfeeding my child, but the pain in my left arm stopped me from sleeping,” said Kang. The mother could hardly hold anything with the aching arm.

The pain lasted for one month, but the woman’s left arm still could not regain strength. Her gripping strength was measured to be around 1, which indicated that the arm was almost paralyzed.

Seeking help from doctors in Singapore did not help Kang much. The doctors there suggested not to do anything other than wait for the arm to gradually regain strength. Three months later, Kang’s condition had not improved.

In a video provided by the woman, Kang can be seen bending her left wrist, but all of her fingers were not under control and she could not make simple gestures like stretching or clenching.

When she learned that Shenzhen People’s Hospital might have solutions to cure her left hand, Kang came to see doctors in Shenzhen.

The diagnosis made by the doctors from the hospital suggested that Kang had been suffering from radial nerve compression syndrome due to the influenza virus and her weakened immunity while breastfeeding her child.

“It was a rare case and we reckoned the syndrome was caused by the influenza virus,” said Zhuang Yongqing, director of the hospital’s hand microvascular surgery department.

According to the doctor, the radial nerve controls the main nerves in the hands and arms. The syndrome occurs when the radial nerve gets stuck. Zhuang recommended surgery.

“The most crucial step in the surgery is to locate the precise point of obstruction,” said the doctor. Human nerves are extremely fragile, so if the operation does not accurately locate the obstruction point, it might have a larger effect on the patient’s health.

A medical team that was introduced to the hospital from another top hospital in Shanghai two years ago was nominated to conduct the surgery for Kang. A kind of cutting-edge surgical technology called intraoprative electromyography was brought by the medical team.

“Not many medical teams in China have currently mastered intraoprative electromyography technology,” said Zhuang. By adopting the technology, medical staff can detect the obstruction point precisely.

While conducting Kang’s surgery, Zhuang and the medical team found that a section of the woman’s nerve in her left elbow appeared to be yellow, while the normal nerves were white. “There was indeed apparent swelling in that section of nerve,” Zhuang recalled.

With the surgery carried out successfully, Kang’s left hand regained strength and could move as before.

Zhuang noted that the elderly and children should pay more attention to radial nerve compression syndrome because people with weaker immune systems are more likely to suffer from the syndrome.