A 7-YEAR-OLD boy in Shenzhen who had a protuberant belly due to hydrothorax and ascites underwent a pulmonary artery stent implantation at the Shenzhen Children’s Hospital on Aug. 3, the Shenzhen Evening News reported Friday.

The boy, identified only as Jiajia, was diagnosed with chronic right heart failure soon after he was born. He underwent several surgeries over the past seven years and has been taking cardiac glycosides and diuretics for a long time, but his condition never improved.

The boy’s belly was as big as a pregnant woman’s. He was treated with repeated paracentesis, which put him through a lot of pain.

By working with several experts from Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute in Guangzhou, doctors from the cardiovascular department at the Shenzhen Children’s Hospital implanted a pulmonary artery stent in Jiajia during a three-hour operation Aug. 3.

It was the first successful pulmonary artery stent implantation in a child performed in a Shenzhen hospital.

Jiajia’s hydrothorax and ascites were gradually reduced after the operation, the News report said, citing Jiajia’s doctors.

According to the cardiovascular department’s director Liu Cong, the minimally invasive operation has improved Jiajia’s condition and the boy will soon be discharged from the hospital.

According to the hospital, the minimally invasive operation to treat congenital heart diseases for children costs 20,000 to 30,000 yuan (US$2,940-4,412).

Over 250 cardiac interventional operations and 170 peripheral vascular interventional operations were provided to children at the hospital last year.

(Zhang Yang)