World's first intl 5G remote HIFU ablation surgery performed in Chongqing

As International Women's Day approaches, the world's first international 5G remote focused ultrasound ablation surgery is performed during the 6th Multicenter Telemedicine Campaign For Women's Health, a public welfare event held in Liangjiang New Area, Southwest China's Chongqing. （Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）

As the International Women's Day fell on Saturday, the world's first international 5G remote high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation surgery was carried out at the 6th Multicenter Telemedicine Campaign For Women's in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area on Thursday.

This public welfare event was jointly held by the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering and the International Society of Minimally Invasive and Virtual Surgery, under the guidance of Chongqing Charity Federation.

"The two-hour surgery was a success," said He Min, the physician who conducted the remote medical treatment in Chongqing. She added the 35-year-old patient at the Kenya Nairobi HIFU Center in Nairobi, Kenya, who had multiple uterine fibroids, underwent a successful procedure. The largest fibroid, measuring over 10 centimeters in diameter, significantly shrank in her uterus, preserving her fertility as she desired.

A versatile physician and director of the clinical training center at Chongqing Haifu Hospital, she has played a pivotal role in offering clinical guidance and training physicians in ultrasound ablation surgeries at numerous hospitals both domestically and internationally. With a track record of over 5,000 successful cases of ultrasound ablation treatment for benign and malignant tumors, she has mentored close to 3,000 physicians, among them more than 500 international physicians.

Including the surgery case in Kenya, on the same day, a total of 208 women in over a hundred HIFU centers worldwide underwent uterus and breast surgeries for free.

The innovative equipment carrying focused ultrasound tumor therapeutic system used in these surgeries was developed by Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co Ltd. This technology, which has garnered major funding grants and the second prize in both the National Technology Invention Award and the National Science and Technology Progress Award in China, is said could apply high intensity focused ultrasound to treat solid tumors such as uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, pancreatic cancer and liver tumor. The company said the total number of treated cases reached 300,000 by the end of 2024.

"In recent years, China has witnessed a decline in its fertility rate with over two million hysterectomies performed annually," said Wang Zhibiao, founder of Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology and director of the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering. "While HIFU represents a revolutionary and game-changing technology, because it changed open surgery to minimally invasive surgery," Wang added that this non-invasive technology, which protects women's organs like the uterus and breasts, carries significant societal implications. Moreover, he noted its progression towards digitization and intelligence, signifying a promising evolution in the field.