A Chinese man who had a successful small intestine transplant a decade ago, celebrated the tenth anniversary of the operation on Tuesday and is now believed to be Asia's longest surviving patient of such an operation.

Yang Feng, a 29-year-old native of central Henan Province, celebrated the tenth anniversary of the operation Tuesday evening with scholars and doctors at the Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province.

In 1999, Yang suffered acute ileus, an intestinal obstruction which reduced his weight from 60 kg to less than 35 kg. His small intestine was cut to only 40 centimeters, about one tenth that of healthy people.

Doctors at the Xijing Hospital transplanted 150 cm of small intestine from his father Yang Runsheng.

This was the first successful small intestine transplant in China from a living person.

Yang and his father are all alive and healthy. Yang married in 2007. He has been working as a temporary staff member at the hospital for eight years.

Small intestine transplant patients generally survive a few years after the operation because of strong repulsion reactions and serious infection threats.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2009)