A woman, who remains unidentified, was able to finally address her son’s toothache issue and stunted growth with the assistance of ChatGPT after years of suffering. Her four-year-old son, Alex, had been experiencing both toothaches and a lack of growth.
Courtney, Alex’s mother, shared her ordeal, revealing that her son had been relying on Motrin (a pain-relieving medication) to alleviate his discomfort. Without it, he would have severe meltdowns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex started chewing on objects that caused him pain, prompting Courtney to seek medical advice. Unfortunately, despite consulting numerous doctors, including an emergency room visit, she was unable to find a solution for her son’s pain and related symptoms for three years.
Courtney’s persistence eventually led her to notice that Alex had stopped growing taller. She consulted a doctor who speculated that this might be a post-COVID-19 complication. However, after consulting with 17 doctors, a breakthrough came from an unexpected source. Courtney turned to ChatGPT to investigate the causes of her son’s toothache and stunted growth.
By inputting Alex’s symptoms into ChatGPT, she discovered that he was suffering from a rare neurological condition known as tethered cord syndrome. As a result, she joined a Facebook group consisting of parents with children who also had the same condition. Courtney meticulously analyzed her son’s MRI notes and fed the information into ChatGPT, focusing on specific details, such as his inability to sit in a cross-legged position, which hinted at a possible structural issue.
Armed with this newfound information, Courtney scheduled an appointment with a neurosurgeon and shared her suspicion that her son had tethered cord syndrome. The doctor reviewed the MRI and confirmed Alex’s condition. Shortly thereafter, Alex underwent surgery to address the tethered cord syndrome.
This case is not the first example of ChatGPT assisting in the diagnosis of medical conditions. In March, a Twitter user shared how the AI tool correctly identified a diagnosis for their pet dog when human doctors were unable to do so.
Tethered cord syndrome, as described by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, occurs when spinal cord tissue forms attachments that restrict the spinal cord’s movements, leading to abnormal stretching of body parts.
