OUAGADOUGOU, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Medical staff in Burkina Faso have successfully performed the country's first bronchial sleeve lobectomy at the Tengandogo University Hospital Center in the capital, Ouagadougou, with the help of the 17th batch of the Chinese medical team to the country, the hospital's communications service announced Friday.
The operation was carried out by a thoracic and vascular surgery team with the participation of Jiang Lei, an associate chief physician of thoracic surgery with the Chinese medical team, according to the same source.
The patient was diagnosed with a large tumor in the left lower lobar bronchus that had spread to the bronchial bifurcation.
According to the hospital, such cases are conventionally treated by pneumonectomy, or complete removal of the affected lung, a procedure that can significantly reduce respiratory function and impair long-term quality of life.
Instead, the surgical team adopted the more advanced bronchial sleeve lobectomy, a lung-sparing reconstructive procedure. Surgeons removed the diseased lower lobe together with the tumor and the affected left bronchial bifurcation before reconnecting the left upper lobar bronchus directly to the left main bronchus, preserving the patient's remaining lung.
The hospital said the successful operation reflects its growing expertise in pulmonary surgery and highlights the close cooperation between the hospital and the Chinese medical team in Burkina Faso. ■