THE LETTER TO PATIENTS

Dear Parents,

 

I am Prof. Xiao Bo, a highly accomplished pediatric neurosurgeon who specializes in surgical treatments for all types of pediatric neurosurgical disorders, particularly those with spastic cerebral palsy. I hold board certifications in both China and Israel and am the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery Department and Director of the Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Center at Shanghai Children's Medical Center in Shanghai, China, as well as the Chief of the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) Center at Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital, Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

With over a decade of experience in this field, I have dedicated myself to improving the surgical treatment outcomes for children with spastic cerebral palsy. My team and I have accumulated over 1 million pairs of input-output intraoperative neurophysiological data from lower spinal cords in patients with spastic cerebral palsy, leading to the establishment of the world's first human spinal nerve evoked-CMAP database. This database has provided new opportunities for optimizing SDR protocols and improving surgical treatment outcomes, as well as for further understanding the principles and modes of spinal cord networks in populations with spastic cerebral palsy.

 

In 2018, I developed a standardized intraoperative EMG interpretation scheme to guide SDR in a quantitative manner, which has been used in over 600 SDR procedures and has shown excellent outcomes. In 2019, the Israeli Ministry of Health approved the clinical use of my surgical technique, and an Israeli SDR surgical team led by me opened an online consultation page in English and Russian on Facebook, greatly facilitating online consultations and surgical arrangements for international patients. Before the pandemic, I performed SDR surgeries three times a year in Israel, and in 2021, I was invited to post an SDR operation video in the International Neurosurgery Research Online Library.

 

As a leader in my field, I hold several leadership positions in professional organizations, including serving as Vice Director of the Surgical Management Program in the Pediatric Rehabilitation Committee of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, an executive board member of the Chinese Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, the Chinese Congress for Pediatric Neurosurgeons, and the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, as well as a member of the SDR Scientific Board of the International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability. In 2022, I was invited to be a member of the Advisory Expert Committee of the China-Israel Innovation Cooperation Strategic Research Center.

 

In addition, I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and experience with others in my field. In 2020 and 2022, my team held two successful sessions of the "The Belt and Road Initiative" international training program, the Shanghai SDR Master Class, which attracted over 500 experts from neurosurgery, neuroelectrophysiology, and rehabilitation therapy from around the world. In 2017, I initiated a charitable program at Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation to sponsor SDR surgeries and post-operative rehabilitation therapies for more than 100 children diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy.

 

I understand that as a parent, your child's health and well-being are of the utmost importance. As a pediatric neurosurgeon, I am committed to providing the best possible care for your child. My experience, expertise, and dedication to the field of pediatric neurosurgery make me confident that I can offer the highest level of care for your child. I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and discuss how we can work together to ensure the best possible outcome for your child.

 

Sincerely,

Prof. Xiao Bo