"I kept coming across so many videos of Director Zhang. The post-surgery recovery looked great, so I looked up Dr. Zhang's consultation schedule online and came straight to the hospital..." — Yuanyuan's Mom, sharing her treatment experience:"The surgery was a complete success. The recovery has been wonderful, and today she's being discharged. The big stone weighing on my heart has finally landed..."
Yuanyuan, 9 months old — right thumb polydactyly (extra finger), before treatment and immediately after surgery.
— Department of Pediatric Orthopedics — A Polydactyly Story
On the morning of Yuanyuan's discharge, we met Yuanyuan and her family — mom, dad, and the whole family — in the pediatric orthopedics ward. The kind-hearted mom warmly shared her family's treatment journey. She said she hoped her experience could serve as a reference for other parents of children with polydactyly, and that all babies with extra fingers could soon have healthy, beautiful hands and feet.
Yuanyuan's mom said that before this, she had no idea polydactyly even existed. It was only when her own child was born with it that she learned a person could be born with an extra finger. She was extremely anxious and worried.
At the time, she was still in her postpartum confinement period. The baby was so young that they couldn't go out, and since the internet was so convenient, she thought she would first do some research online, and then take the baby to the hospital after her confinement month ended.
After that, she searched constantly across various platforms. That's when she came across videos from Dr. Zhang Songjian, Deputy Director and hand & foot surgery specialist at Renji — his educational videos, ward rounds, consultations, and case stories. She also got in touch with Director Zhang and his assistant.
Director Zhang gave them a detailed and comprehensive explanation of polydactyly and answered the questions that had troubled them for so long. Although she was very grateful to Director Zhang, all their communication had been online, so some doubts still lingered in her heart.
Afterwards, they also visited local hospitals and even attended a consultation session held by provincial-level experts in their area. The more she learned, the more she realized that neither the environment nor the medical conditions compared to Renji. After weighing everything carefully, they decided to go see Director Zhang.
Yuanyuan's right hand when they arrived at Renji, at 8+ months old (mid-October).
We knew that the baby had already met the surgical requirements at just over 6 months old. But it was the height of a hot summer at the time, and they worried that post-operative care would be difficult, so they waited until the baby was more than 8 months old (mid-October).
On the day they arrived at the hospital, Director Zhang held a consultation and performed a physical examination, and they completed the admission procedures before 12 noon. The surgical plan was drawn up and pre-operative examinations were completed. The surgery was successfully performed early the next morning.
Zhang Songjian, Deputy Director, Pediatric Orthopedics:
"Yuanyuan's condition is Type 4 polydactyly — very common, yet with one special feature: a little extra bone at the interphalangeal joint, which currently doesn't affect finger function. We developed several treatment plans for the family to choose from. In the end, they chose: treat the polydactyly first, and continue observing the special feature."
The small extra bone will continue to be observed.
During the operation, wearing a head-mounted microscope, Deputy Director Zhang Songjian — together with Dr. Liu Xuebao and the team — thoroughly removed the redundant tissue and corrected the deviation, while making full use of the extra tissue to rebuild function and repair the appearance. After a little over an hour, the surgery was successfully completed.
Mom and Dad, waiting outside the operating room, were amazed when they saw their baby:
"We thought she would feel uncomfortable, that she would cry and be hard to soothe. But to our surprise, she was so well-behaved — she even smiled at me..."
(Yuanyuan's attending physician, Dr. Liu Xuebao, talks about the baby's condition.)
The appearance of the thumb immediately after surgery.
Back in the ward, she cried only briefly. After drinking some water and having some formula, she started playing by herself — making things especially easy for her parents to care for.
On the day of surgery, she received just one IV drip of vitamins. After that, the only treatment was a dressing change every two or three days — nothing else. The third dressing change was done on the day of discharge, and the doctor even taught the parents how to change the dressing themselves and what to watch out for.
During the operation: thorough removal of the extra tissue, correction of the deviation, and rebuilding of function and appearance.
In their free time, families would "pay visits" to each other carrying their babies, or gather in the corridor to play and chat together. It was relaxing and pleasant — it hardly felt like being in a hospital at all.
Director Zhang, Head Nurse Li Yanwen, attending physician Dr. Liu Xuebao, and all the medical staff in the department were especially kind. Outside of work hours, they would even play with the children. On the day of discharge, the mom made a point of saying goodbye to Dr. Liu in person — just to thank the medical staff face to face.
The babies with polydactyly hospitalized during the same period would often gather to chat after surgery, sharing with each other their experiences of searching for a hospital, along with the anxiety and worry they felt before treatment. Many said: "Now that the surgeries have succeeded, the big stone in our hearts has been set down..."
Families playing with their children together in the corridor.
Most of these babies' treatment stories were similar. The parents said: "Choosing Renji was a decision made after going to multiple places and consulting many hospitals, then comparing everything comprehensively. The reasons: strong technical capability and rich experience..."
They use microsurgical techniques that not only completely remove the extra finger, repair the appearance, and rebuild function, but also incorporate plastic surgery and aesthetic techniques to begin scar prevention early — laying a solid foundation for an ideal recovery.
In addition, it is a specialized hospital with over 20 years of history and a Grade III (tertiary-level) accreditation — a正规 professional specialty hospital.
Moreover, when developing the surgical plan, Director Zhang pays great attention to detail. This comes from his extensive clinical experience, and it helped avoid problems such as finger deviation or a protruding lump at the thenar eminence.
At present, the pediatric orthopedics ward is home to many little babies with polydactyly or syndactyly — some have just had surgery, some are about to be discharged, and some have returned for follow-up visits after recovery.
Watching the children's hands and feet become more and more beautiful, Director Zhang said: "This is the value of being a doctor..."
Today's moms and dads are generally well educated. When it comes to polydactyly, they are firm in one thing: it must be treated, and the child deserves the very best treatment. What makes them hesitate is the choice of hospital, specialist, and treatment plan.
That is exactly why Director Zhang continuously shares medical knowledge and the stories of these babies — to offer some reference experience for parents who feel lost and hesitant.
Our goal is the same as parents' goal: we all hope that babies can soon have healthy hands and feet, and a happy childhood.
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