Shanghai Ninth Hospital describes cross-border care for children with extra digits
Cases from Italy and Canada show surgical planning, bilingual communication and documentation of family history in the north-campus special-care ward.
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Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital described care for overseas patients in its north-campus special-care ward in a February 25, 2025 medical school report. Since opening, the ward had received fifteen patients from several countries, across reconstructive surgery, oral and maxillofacial head-and-neck oncology, and interventional services.
One operation for an Italian child's duplicated thumb
Mimi, a child from Italy, had congenital thumb duplication. Her mother said hospitals in Milan had advised two operations before she learned online about surgeon Wang Bin's tip-transposition technique at Ninth Hospital.
The technique was described as correcting the deformity while preserving function in one operation. The family chose to come to Shanghai.
The special-care team stayed in contact through WeChat, provided multilingual support and explained the proposed operation in detail. The report stated that Mimi recovered well after surgery.
The reconstructive surgery team also described clinical techniques it had developed for congenital limb differences: separating joined fingers without skin grafts, single-stage release of constriction rings, a palmar approach to fingertip reconstruction, and lengthening short fingers. It also reported composite tissue transfer using part of a metatarsal to reconstruct severe thumb underdevelopment.
An English pedigree for a Canadian child
William, a Canadian child with six toes on a foot, came to the same ward after his mother struggled to find suitable specialist care in Canada.
The team developed a surgical plan and also prepared an English-language pedigree documenting the family's hereditary history. The chart was intended to support subsequent genetic care.
His mother praised both the efficiency of the clinical work and the attention to practical details.
Communication, payments and later records
The ward described bilingual care and instant messaging as ways to keep families informed throughout treatment.
Practical arrangements included improved international payment processes and bedside checkout to reduce waiting. A children's reading corner and a wish wall were available in the ward.
English medical documents were identified as a planned addition to help patients attend follow-up consultations overseas.