Xiao Zhao, the first people in the country who received 3D correction surgery of thoracoscopic congenital atrial septal defect, was fully recovered and discharged from hospital on Jul 16.
Due to congenital ateliosis, 17-years-old Xiao Zhao has defective interatrial septum, which causes lower-than-normal oxygen level in his arterial blood. However, since shape of the defect is not suitable for interventional closure, surgery is the only option for him.
The surgeon who performed this operation is Wu Yanhu, cardiothoracic surgery director of Jiangsu Province Hospital. He performed a special thoracoscopic surgery for Xiao Zhao. Three holes were punched in Xiao Zhao’s right thorax, a camera was introduced through one of the holes, transmitting images sent from the monitor. Surgeons wore 3D glasses when performing the surgery. Dr. Wu said, “On the 3D images, muscle and blood vessels become three-dimensional. When the blood flew to the camera, we felt as if waves were coming to us.”
3D technology was introduced to China in the first half of 2013. Only a few hospitals have conducted surgery using this technology, most of them being general surgery such as laparoscope surgery. This was the first ever 3D thoracoscopic cardiothoracic surgery in China.
