【Pediatric Cardiac Breakthrough】Fu Wai Hospital Successfully Treats Rare Absence of Right Pulmonary Artery (ARPA): Autologous Tissue Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction Restores Child's Life
Mandy (a pseudonym), a girl from Zibo, Shandong, was once facing a bleak prognosis due to an extremely severe and rare Congenital Heart Disease (CHD): Absence of Right Pulmonary Artery (ARPA). After being deemed "untreatable" by multiple hospitals, her life was constantly at risk. Recently, Dr. Zhang Yanwei, Deputy Director of the Pediatric Cardiac Center at Fu Wai Hospital, and his team successfully performed "Autologous Tissue Pulmonary Artery Repair," using an innovative surgical technique to save the child’s life and setting a new precedent for the surgical treatment of rare CHD.
Mandy's condition worsened with age, compounded by severe left Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). She suffered from persistent cyanosis (blue lips and hands), severely limited exercise tolerance, and the critical symptom of recurrent hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Traditional treatment often involves synthetic materials, which carries risks of secondary operations and long-term complications. Following a multidisciplinary consultation, Dr. Zhang Yanwei’s team determined that immediate surgery was crucial and opted for the highly complex "Total Autologous Tissue Right Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction" technique.
Key Technical Innovation: Autologous Tissue Grafting The core of this surgery is the ingenious use of the patient's own pulmonary vessel tissue combined with pericardial tissue to construct a new, viable, and potentially growth-capable right pulmonary artery (RPA) conduit. The advantages of this autologous tissue reconstruction are:
- Curative Potential: The reconstructed vessel is expected to grow with the child, eliminating the need for repeat surgeries often required with fixed-size synthetic grafts.
- Safety: It avoids the risks of rejection, infection, and thrombosis associated with foreign artificial materials.
During the four-hour procedure, Dr. Zhang Yanwei's team meticulously separated and anastomosed the vessel tissues under a microscope. Every suture and hemostasis step was executed with extreme precision, successfully establishing a patent RPA pathway. Postoperative review confirmed that Mandy's severe Pulmonary Hypertension had almost completely resolved, and the newly constructed RPA was beginning to function normally.
Fu Wai Hospital’s Pediatric Cardiac Center is dedicated to resolving complex challenges in pediatric cardiac surgery. The success of this Autologous Tissue Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction not only brings radical hope to children with rare conditions like Mandy’s but also demonstrates Fu Wai Hospital's elite capability and commitment to exploring advanced surgical frontiers in the treatment of complex CHD. Mandy is now recovering well and has returned to a healthy state where she can run and play.
