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Asan Medical Center achieves 2,000 head and neck cancer reconstruction surgeries
A surgical team at Asan Medical Center has achieved a significant medical milestone by completing 2,000 head and neck cancer microvascular reconstruction surgeries, marking the first such achievement in South Korea.
Since beginning these procedures in 1996, the hospital reached its first 1,000 cases in 2019. The team completed the subsequent 1,000 cases in just seven years, driven by a fourfold increase in annual procedures from approximately 30 in the 2000s to over 130 in the last five years.
The reconstruction process involves highly complex microvascular surgery, where surgeons use microscopes to connect blood vessels as small as 1–2 mm. This allows for the transplantation of skin, muscle, or bone from other parts of the patient's body to restore essential functions such as speaking and swallowing. The team, which includes specialists from plastic surgery and otorhinolaryngology, maintains a success rate of approximately 97%.
Entities
Asan Medical Center · Choi Jong-woo · Jeong Woo-sik · Kim Young-chul · Oh Tae-seok
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The hospital reached its first 1,000 cases in 2019 and completed the next 1,000 cases in just seven years. www.healthmedia.co.kr · www.hin.company · www.bokuennews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The team achieved 2,000 cases of head and neck cancer microvascular reconstruction surgery, a first in South Korea. www.healthmedia.co.kr · www.hin.company · www.bokuennews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The team performs functional muscle transplantation to dynamically reconstruct tongue movement. www.healthmedia.co.kr · www.hin.company · www.bokuennews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The head and neck reconstruction surgery team maintains a success rate of approximately 97%. www.healthmedia.co.kr · www.hin.company · www.bokuennews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The annual average number of microvascular reconstruction surgeries increased from approximately 30 in the 2000s to over 130 in the last five years. www.healthmedia.co.kr · www.hin.company · www.bokuennews.com