From January 15 to 17, 2025, ICWS successfully hosted the inaugural “Latest Chest Wall Surgery Techniques Global Training Program”. The program, jointly initiated by the International Chest Wall Surgery Organization (ICWSO) and ICWS, attracted 13 surgeons from Spain, Israel, Morocco, Romania, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia and other countries to participate and learn the latest diagnostic methods and surgical techniques in chest wall surgery.

The training program officially commenced at 9:00 AM on January 15. Professor Yongkang Gao, Executive Director of the International Chest Wall Surgery Organization, along with Junzhang Tian, Party Secretary of Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, and Wenhua Li, Deputy Party Secretary, attended the opening ceremony. In his speech, Secretary Tian articulated the vision that this training program would extend cutting-edge chest wall surgery techniques beyond national borders, delivering safer and more effective treatment options for patients worldwide. Professor Wenlin Wang, Director of the Institute of Chest Wall Surgery, also remarked that the training marks a new milestone in the advancement of chest wall surgery and carries significant implications for fostering global exchange and collaboration in the field.

The training program featured two main components: theoretical instruction and live surgery observation. During the theoretical sessions, Dr. Wenlin Wang provided a detailed introduction to his treatment experiences in complex chest wall surgeries, sharing successful treatment cases targeting different types of chest wall deformities and demonstrating the cutting-edge advancements in chest wall surgical techniques. Dr. Yang Liu delivered a lecture on chest wall reconstruction for straight back syndrome, followed by Dr. Juan Luo’s exploration of surgical approaches for asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy. Dr.Bin Cai provided an in-depth analysis of the principles and applications of the Wang procedure, while Dr.Shaoyi Zheng explained the fundamentals and interrelationships of chest wall surgeries. Notably, Dr. Wenlin Wang gave a live demonstration, utilizing his proprietary “Wang Technique” to safely and precisely place steel bars, significantly enhancing surgical safety and effectiveness.

This surgical observation included a total of 30 chest wall surgeries, covering a wide range of conditions such as pectus carinatum, large-area pectus excavatum, Poland syndrome, complex chest wall deformities, flat chest, asymmetrical chest wall deformities, and straight back syndrome. Professor Wang led his team members to complete all the surgeries in the shortest time with superb skills and efficient collaboration, leaving a deep impression on surgeons from all over the world. Dr. Anna Minasyan from Spain remarked, “The ICWS team completed 30 chest wall deformity corrective surgeries in a single day—an achievement that would be almost unimaginable in European hospitals. I was particularly impressed by their ability to simultaneously manage cases across various age groups and efficiently coordinate surgeries in multiple operating rooms.” Dr. Saaransh Bansal from India, after observing the Wang procedure for a pectus excavatum patient, said, “I was amazed by how Dr. Wang simplified such a complex process. This intricate procedure was completed with remarkable precision and speed, within just 20 minutes.”

After three days of intensive learning and discussions, the participants gained a deep understanding of chest wall surgery techniques and their clinical applications. This program has laid the foundation for the widespread adoption of advanced chest wall surgical techniques globally. It is hoped that these pioneering approaches will soon flourish across the globe, bringing hope and better surgical outcomes to patients suffering from chest wall deformities.