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P A T I E N T E X P E R I E N C E - Q U A D R I P L E G I C
NAME: Chris Olson
COUNTRY: U.S.A.
AGE: 27 DIAGNOSIS: Quadriplegia
REASON FOR COMING FOR TREATMENT: After a car accident, his 4th, 5th, and 6th cervical (found in the neck) vertebrae were broken, resulting in the paralysis of his body below his shoulders/upper chest.
TREATMENT: OEC injections into the spinal cord about the injury and below the injury START OF TREATMENT: September, 2003 BEFORE THE TREATMENT: His deltoids in his shoulders and biceps in his upper arms were the lowest muscles in his body that were fully functional. He was able to extend both of his wrists slightly, but had absolutely no movement in his hands or fingers. He had some sensation on parts of his arms and hands. Most of that sensation was not normal, meaning that he can not tell the difference between hot and cold.
AFTER THE TREATMENT (From Chris Olson’s Web Site): See before and after motor and sensory scores. Chris Olson: * I have some sensation at the T3/T4 level on my trunk.
* From a test done in Beijing two weeks following the operation, I was told my somatosensory evoked potentials were improved and could be elicited from stimulation of dermatomes down to T4, consistent with the presence of better sensation that I am getting. My SEP before the operation was down to C6.
* My left wrist extensor is now grade 4 - verified by OT.
* It is much easier for me to cough.
* I no longer have shortness of breath when speaking for extended time periods.
* I am now able to sit on the side of the bed and balance with my arms in the air due to increased muscle control in my trunk; I could not sit before.
* I am now able to get around some in a manual chair. I did not have the strength, trunk muscles, or balance to do this before the surgery.
* My legs and feet are now warm to the touch due to increased circulation. I can also sense if my legs are hot (when covered with blankets, for example). My legs began to sweat a few months after the surgery and my feet began to sweat in March of 2004.
* My ankle was dislocated very badly from my initial accident. I often feel pain in this ankle now, especially when I use my standing frame.”
“While these improvements aren't earth shattering, they are improvements. I could continue to experience gains for up to 18 months post surgery. For me, it was the right decision. I would do it again in a heartbeat - some chance is better than none.”
TRANSLATION OF OCTOBER 2nd TV COVERAGE BY A BEIJING STATION:
See VideoAnnouncer: This young man, who is blowing the candles, is Chris Olson. In 2001, a car accident caused to be quadriplegic. After his surgery, his initial treatments were not effective. Then, he found that Beijing Chaoyang Hospital could treat paraplegia with OEC cells and could have beneficial effects. So he came to Beijing in September of this year. On September 28 th, 2003 Dr. Huang Hongyun implanted OEC cells into his spinal cord. Several days after the operation, he felt that there was a big change. As a graduate student for computer science, he used to use these two little sticks to type like this. As his hands’ strength come back, he can now use his hands to type. He even has begun to practice to hold a glass to drink. The OEC procedure first cultivates OEC cells and then puts these cells into the patients’ spinal cord in order to make the nerve function improve. Chris Olson is not the only one who has benefited from this type of operation.
Dr. Huang:
To what an extent the patient will improve depends on the individual. Different patients get different effects. For example, the spinal cord damaged patients, who could not move before, now can walk with the help of crutches. We are now using this method to treat some nervous system diseases which had no treatment before. Besides Chris Olson, there are quite a few foreign patients who are getting this OEC operation. Their movement ability has improved to some extent. Dr. Huang said: OEC implanting is not omnipotent. It is a long way before we can cure the quadriplegic patients. But this method can give the patients hope that they can improve their quality of life.
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