[China Tech] High-end skull surgery for children with rare disease available in Shanghai

China Tech is a column dedicated to the innovations reshaping China – and, inevitably, the world. From cutting-edge AI labs and next-gen robotics to homegrown apps that redefine daily life, we explore the breakthroughs that emerge from the country's relentless drive for technological dominance. Some are game-changers, others cautionary tales, but all offer a glimpse into the future as it's being built, at breakneck speed, in China.

Shanghai has emerged as a medical hub for craniofacial surgery.

Craniosynostosis is a condition in which the bones of a baby's skull join before the brain is fully developed. As the baby's brain grows, the skull may become malformed.

In addition to causing a deformed head and face, this condition often leads to a range of complications, including developmental delays and difficulties with thinking, memory, and learning, as well as blindness, seizures, and headaches.

The treatment for craniosynostosis typically requires surgery to reshape the skull. Early diagnosis and intervention provide the baby's brain with sufficient space to grow and develop properly.

Following surgery, most children can expect to develop normally and achieve a more typical shape of the head and face.

"The condition can be identified months after birth during routine screenings, and the optimal time for surgery is between three and six months of age. This timing allows the child to grow like any other normal child and to lead a typical life. The surgical procedure involves opening the skull to relieve pressure on the brain, facilitating proper growth," explained Dr Mu Xiongzheng, who performed Asia's first pediatric craniosynostosis surgery in Shanghai in 2012.

Due to the risks associated with pediatric surgery, these procedures were previously performed only on adults. As a result, many patients missed their optimal treatment window.

"We operated on a 6-month-old with the disease and succeeded," said Dr Mu. "Thereafter, we perfected our surgical skills and trained medical staff in other hospitals and provinces in China.

After performing our first surgery, we began receiving patients from throughout China and other countries. We have treated between 100 and 200 pediatric patients, including foreigners from France, Japan, and South Korea, along with some Chinese patients who sought our services after consulting doctors in Western countries."

The surgery costs over 100,000 yuan in Shanghai and over US$200,000 in the US.

"These expatriate patients indicate that Shanghai has emerged as a leading medical center for craniofacial surgery in Asia and is positioned among the top in the world. Furthermore, Chinese specialists are gaining increasing recognition in the international medical community," said Mu.

Mu chaired the 21st International Society of Craniofacial Surgery Congress, which Shanghai hosted for the first time. He was elected as the ISCFS president from 2023 to 2025.

Nearly 200 top medical experts from 38 countries discussed deformity renovation and function reconstruction, trauma and tumor diagnosis and treatment, digital and intelligent technology, and coordination and teaching.

Craniofacial surgery involves plastic and medical parts. Plastic surgery involves anesthetic purposes, while medical surgery treats tumors, trauma, and deformities.

"Plastic surgery in Shanghai is also gaining popularity. People used to go to South Korea for plastic surgery, but Shanghai has top-notch facilities at two-thirds the cost," Mu said. "While the government is boosting Shanghai's international medical tourism, patients needing craniofacial surgery can choose Shanghai as a destination."