A world first! Rare severely obese "mirror man" underwent "total inversion of internal organs" gastric reduction and intestinal sloughing weight loss surgery, losing 20 kilograms

Miss Li, a rare "mirror person" and severely obese female patient, underwent the world's first "total visceral inversion and gastric and intestinal weight loss surgery" and lost 20 kilograms in four months! Ms. Li, 35 years old, is an office worker. She was involved in a serious car accident when she was in high school. After examination, Ms. Li was shocked to find that the positions of her heart, lungs, gastrointestinal organs and other internal organs were opposite to those of an ordinary person's body. Her organs were reversed like a "mirror man".

Although Ms. Li has an impressive height of 170 cm, she developed the common problem of postpartum obesity after getting married and giving birth. Although she tried various weight loss methods, such as diet control, meal replacement and exercise, the results were not satisfactory. Her weight continued to soar over 100 kg and she became a severely obese patient (BMI=37.3). At the same time, Ms. Li also suffers from health problems such as moderate to severe fatty liver, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease due to severe obesity.

After detailed consultation and evaluation by Dr. Xin Mingzhe, Director of the Department of Metabolic Medicine at the Affiliated Hospital of China University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the weight loss team, Ms. Li underwent a "total visceral inversion and gastric and intestinal weight loss surgery" in January this year (2014). Four months later, she lost 20 kg, from 108 kg to 88 kg. After the surgery, all her fatty liver, metabolic abnormalities and sleep apnea symptoms also improved a lot. It is expected that she will return to her standard weight of 65 kg one year after the surgery.

Director Xin Mingzhe said that situs inversus is a rare congenital structural abnormality. This condition is usually discovered accidentally during a chest X-ray. International literature shows that approximately one in every 10,000 to 25,000 people has the left and right organs reversed. Director Xin Mingzhe further explained that most patients with visceral transposition are healthy like ordinary people, but a small number of people may have congenital cardiovascular diseases. Regardless of the medical field, performing surgery on patients with visceral transposition is extremely challenging because all instruments and surgical steps need to be adjusted to a position completely opposite to the normal one. In addition, this type of surgery is a rare case and cannot be practiced in advance. It must rely on rich surgical experience and on-the-spot adaptability to complete it.

The Affiliated Hospital of China University of Traditional Chinese Medicine performed the world's first "total inversion of internal organs" gastric reduction and intestinal exenteration weight loss surgery. (Photo provided by the Affiliated Hospital of Chinese University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Director Xin said that gastric reduction and small intestine bypass surgery is a surgery to reduce the stomach and bypass the small intestine. It has two important mechanisms: one is to reduce hunger, and the other is to increase the feeling of fullness when eating. This is because shrinking the stomach will reduce the secretion of ghrelin in the stomach, and the occlusion of part of the small intestine will shorten the intestine, which can increase intestinal secretion and enhance the sense of fullness in the hypothalamus of the brain, thereby achieving a better weight loss effect.

Director Huang Zhikun of the International Center for Metabolic and Physical Medicine explained that the International Center for Metabolic and Physical Medicine has completed nearly 8,000 weight loss surgeries since its establishment. For each patient, a personalized treatment plan will be provided according to their physical condition and medical history. In addition to the current case of total visceral inversion weight loss, we also completed the world's first "semi-visceral inversion and gastric reduction and intestinal weight loss surgery" last year. The patient successfully lost nearly 45 kilograms from 108 kilograms one year after the surgery.

Director Xin Mingzhe added that in modern society, obesity and related metabolic diseases have become the focus of public health attention. Weight loss surgery has developed to be quite safe and effective in recent years. If patients are overweight or have three high diseases, it is recommended to seek medical consultation to avoid delaying the treatment schedule.

Miss Li, a rare "mirror person" and severely obese female patient, underwent the world's first "total visceral inversion, gastric reduction and intestinal weight loss surgery" at the Affiliated Hospital of China University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She lost 20 kilograms in four months! (Photo provided by the Affiliated Hospital of Chinese University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)