Chinese doctors conduct tympanoplasty operation in Niamey General Reference Hospital in Niamey, Niger, April 27, 2026. Chinese doctors have recently conducted a successful tympanoplasty operation in Niger, believed to be the first time that the eardrum repair procedure was done in the West African country. (The 25th Chinese medical team in Niger/Handout via Xinhua)
NIAMEY, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese doctors have recently conducted a successful tympanoplasty operation in Niger, believed to be the first time that the eardrum repair procedure was done in the West African country.
Tang Xianglong, a member of the 25th Chinese medical team in Niger, carried out the landmark otologic surgery on a local patient in Niamey General Reference Hospital in the Nigerien capital.
The operation is considered a "zero-to-one" breakthrough in local ear medicine, a shift from predominantly conservative drug treatment.
Tang, from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in southern China, used the patient's own tragal cartilage to repair the perforated eardrum, with the help of anesthesiologist Lan Qixin and nurse Zhong Chengshan.
According to the team, the Nigerien patient had suffered from an ear condition for three years, with recurrent infections leading to a large perforation in the eardrum, accompanied by middle ear lesions, persistent ear discharge, and progressive hearing loss.
The patient had previously relied on medication to control symptoms, suffering from a cycle of "infection-remission-relapse," with the risk of developing severe complications such as intracranial infection.
In Niger, many patients with similar ear conditions are unable to get effective treatment due to a lack of surgical capacity.
During the operation, the Chinese doctors also gave detailed explanations to Nigerien colleagues, including key steps, the selection of graft materials, and perioperative management.
The team helped the hospital to establish a rudimentary standardized diagnostic and treatment process covering preoperative assessment, intraoperative procedures, and postoperative follow-up, providing support for future similar surgeries.
Through a combination of surgical demonstration and systematic training, local medical personnel are gradually mastering relevant techniques, helping to shift ear disease treatment from reliance on medication alone to a more comprehensive approach.
For many years, Chinese medical teams in Africa have actively contributed to disease treatment, technical training, and public health cooperation, playing a positive role in strengthening healthcare capacity across the continent.
The team in Niger said that members will continue to respond to local needs, deepen cooperation in medical training, help improve healthcare systems, and enable more patients to benefit from sustainable medical development, contributing to the building of a global community of health for all. ■