Over 100,000 Chinese cardiac patients have had successful keyhole surgery over the past two decades. The figure was disclosed at the Fifth China National Cardiopathology Symposium which was held in Dalian city, northeast China, from April 12 to 14.

About 1,500 cardiologists from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Singapore attended the forum, exchanging ideas and discussing the latest developments in keyhole surgery.

They also held group consultations on over 30 difficult and complicated cases and performed operations jointly.

Studies of the technology required for the procedure began in the early 1980s and keyhole surgery is now widely used in the treatment of arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, valvular incompetence, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy and heart failure.

The incidence of cardiovascular disease in China is rising rapidly each year.

(People's Daily April 27, 2002)