(Photo/thepaper.cn)

A hospital in east China’s Jiangsu province recently carried out surgery for a 72-year-old breast cancer patient using 5G technology and mixed reality (MR).

The operation was completed by surgeons from a branch hospital of Jiangsu Province Hospital on July 3. They were connected live to doctors at Jiangsu Province Hospital so that the latter could give guidance during the operation.

Tang Jinhai, a chest surgery expert at Jiangsu Province Hospital, led the surgery by demonstrating the process for doctors at the branch hospital. The two hospitals are 20 kilometers apart.

(Photo/thepaper.cn)

Powered by 5G technologies, the connection was virtually lag-free, allowing the surgeons to operate as Tang guided them. The tumor was successfully removed from the patient’s breast.

Before the surgery, researchers from Jiangsu Province Hospital had built a 3D mammary gland model with the CT images of the breast cancer patient. Tang routed the 3D model to a head-mounted display through VR software to explain the surgery to the operation team at the branch hospital.

(Photo/thepaper.cn)

Equipped with a headset, the patient also got a full view of the 3D model of her mammary gland and clearly understood the surgery before it started.

She is recovering well and will soon be discharged from the hospital.