The joint efforts of doctors and patients and the active cooperation of family members are key to filling the rehabilitation journey of children with cerebral palsy and brain disorders with hope. A little progress every day signals a positive trend. A few days ago in the afternoon, the child’s family shared with the doctors the little changes they had noticed after treatment in the Neurosurgery Department: progress in verbal expression, improvement in cognitive ability, and marked improvement in hyperactivity. These subtle yet remarkable changes are like a ray of sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating the way forward.

The perseverance of the family and the dedication of the neurosurgeons at Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital have together woven a hopeful picture of rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy and brain disorders, making every tiny step forward all the more precious.
Every step of progress made by Xiao Peng (pseudonym) embodies the patience of his family and the wisdom of the neurosurgeons; every step forward is the best reward for the efforts of both doctors and patients.
Xiao Peng is now three years old. When he was three months old, his family noticed something abnormal, and a local hospital diagnosed him with developmental delay. However, because he was too young, no special treatment was given. As he grew, the problems became increasingly obvious. Three months ago, due to limited speech, he visited the doctor again and was diagnosed with global developmental delay. For the child’s future, his family decided to pursue active treatment and chose the Department of Neurosurgery at Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital for intervention.

Professor Duan Chuanwei, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital, conducted further examinations on the child Xiao Peng. He found that the child had little spontaneous and effective speech, could say only one- or two-character words, could not imitate speech, had a limited vocabulary, and had poor expressive ability. The child also had cognitive delay, could not count, did not recognize the colors of common objects or the front and back of clothes, and had poor comprehension. Combined with the cranial MRI report, the child was diagnosed with brain hypoplasia, speech and language developmental disorder, and intellectual disability.
Relying on superb medical skills and rich experience, the multidisciplinary expert team of the Department of Neurosurgery tailored a treatment plan for Xiao Peng and provided precise treatment. To address the child’s brain developmental problems, they first treated the child with carotid periarterial sympathectomy (CPS) to improve cerebral blood supply, and developed a rehabilitation treatment plan for the child.

The selected procedure, carotid periarterial sympathectomy (CPS), removes the sympathetic nerve network around the carotid artery, which can dilate the common carotid artery, internal carotid artery, and intracranial arteries, increase intracranial cerebral blood flow, and comprehensively improve brain function, thereby improving a series of conditions in Xiao Peng, including language, cognition, and hyperactivity.
Seven days after surgery, Xiao Peng’s verbal expression increased by one or two words each day, his hyperactivity improved markedly, his cognitive ability improved, and his sleep quality became significantly better. The perseverance of his family and the dedication of the doctors together witnessed the light of hope for Xiao Peng’s rehabilitation.

The joy of the child’s family was beyond words. His verbal expression increased from one- or two-word utterances to one or two additional words each day; his cognitive comprehension gradually improved; his mood became stable; and his sleep quality improved significantly. Although these advances are small, they have strengthened the confidence of both doctors and patients and laid a solid foundation for the child’s future rehabilitation.
In this regard, Professor Duan Chuanwei pointed out that multidisciplinary collaborative diagnosis and treatment provides a comprehensive rehabilitation pathway for the child, and family cooperation is also crucial. Carotid periarterial sympathectomy (CPS) can increase cerebral blood flow, improve the child’s cerebral blood supply, promote brain development, and reduce the release of excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. Clinically, it can comprehensively improve brain function, thereby improving a series of conditions in children with cerebral palsy and brain disorders, such as language, intelligence, and hyperactivity.
Professor Duan also emphasized that for children with delayed brain development, early intervention and continuous treatment are key, and one must not miss the golden period of brain development (0–6 years). After treatment, family members need to closely monitor the child’s progress and adjust the rehabilitation plan in a timely manner. The collaborative efforts of our hospital’s multidisciplinary neurosurgery team, combined with scientific rehabilitation training, will further enhance treatment outcomes and help the child make progress.
Understanding Carotid Periarterial Sympathectomy
01 Principle of Carotid Periarterial Sympathectomy
By removing the sympathetic nerve network around the carotid artery, the common carotid artery, internal carotid artery, and intracranial arteries can be dilated, intracranial cerebral blood flow can be increased, cerebral blood circulation can be improved, and the establishment of collateral circulation can be promoted. This allows some borderline neurons to recover function to varying degrees, promotes brain development, and comprehensively improves patients’ brain function.
02 Indications for Carotid Periarterial Sympathectomy
(1) Torsion spasm, language impairment, and intellectual disability caused by cerebral palsy
(2) Spastic paralysis with tension, clumsiness of hands and feet, unsteady walking, and drooling
(3) Spastic paralysis caused by kernicterus, ataxia, hyperactivity, etc.
03 Surgical Procedure of Carotid Periarterial Sympathectomy
Under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, longitudinal incisions about 3 cm long are made along the middle-lower medial border of the bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles. The skin, platysma, and anterior cervical fascia are incised to expose the carotid sheath. The space between the common carotid artery and the internal jugular vein is separated. Then, under a microscope, the adventitia of the common carotid artery is circumferentially incised for 2–3 cm, and the perineural connective tissue is removed.
04 Surgical Efficacy of Carotid Periarterial Sympathectomy
By improving cerebral blood supply in children with cerebral palsy, promoting brain development, reducing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain, and regulating nerve excitability, CPS can comprehensively improve brain function, enhance intelligence, memory, and language ability, and reduce limb muscle tone, especially in the upper limbs.