Pediatric Endocrinology, Metabolism and Gastroenterology Department

The Pediatric Neurology specialty was established in 1978, and the Pediatric Endocrinology specialty in 1980. After nearly 40 years of talent development and recruitment, together with continuous learning and accumulation of experience, the disciplines gradually matured. In 2013, the hospital reorganized its disciplines and formally established the Department of Pediatric Neurology and Endocrinology, becoming the first hospital in Qingdao to establish dedicated pediatric neurology and pediatric endocrinology specialties. It has 54 beds in total, distributed between the Shinan Campus and Huangdao Campus, with 10 physicians and 20 nursing staff. The department also encompasses pediatric allergy and pediatric gastroenterology, and continuously develops new technologies and programs, including video EEG examinations, insulin-pump treatment for childhood diabetes, real-time continuous blood glucose monitoring, and pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy. It has become a center for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood epilepsy and childhood diabetes in Qingdao; the number of pediatric digestive disease cases is steadily increasing, and the department’s professional influence continues to expand.

Talent Team

The department has a strong talent base and has developed into a high-level medical, teaching, and research team with a full range of specialties, centered on highly qualified young and mid-career technical professionals. The department has 10 physicians, including 4 professors and 1 associate professor; 3 supervisors of master’s students. In pediatric neurology, the medical team consists of Professors Shu Zhirong and Hua Qing and Zhang Ying, a young physician with a doctoral degree. In pediatric endocrinology, Professors Chen Zhihong and the young physicians with doctoral degrees Liu Jing and Tian Fei form an academic team combining senior, mid-career, and young members. Professor Qu Zhenghai is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of common pediatric respiratory and allergic diseases and has extensive expertise in pediatric allergic diseases. The pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy examinations performed by Associate Chief Physician Wang Caixia fill a gap in pediatric digestive endoscopy in Qingdao. There are 20 nursing staff, with a high level of professional nursing expertise.

Professional Features

In the field of pediatric nervous system diseases, the Department of Pediatrics was established at Qingdao Medical College in 1978, and the pediatric neurology specialty was established in the same year. The medical team consisting of Professors Shu Zhirong and Hua Qing and young physician with a doctoral degree Zhang Ying has reached an advanced national level in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood epilepsy, especially intractable epilepsy, central nervous system infections, white matter diseases, multiple sclerosis, tuberous sclerosis, cerebral infarction, acute hemiplegia in children, post-traumatic hemiplegia, genetic and metabolic diseases, and other conditions. In the field of pediatric endocrine and genetic metabolic diseases, the specialty of endocrine and genetic metabolic diseases was established in 1980. The academic team formed by Professor Chen Zhihong and the young physicians with doctoral degrees Liu Jing and Tian Fei, combining senior, mid-career, and young members, enjoys a high academic reputation and profile in Shandong Province and throughout China, and its diagnostic and treatment capabilities rank among the leading in China. The department mainly diagnoses and treats childhood diabetes, growth and developmental delay, thyroid diseases, adrenal diseases, chromosomal diseases, disorders of sexual development, multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies, chromosomal diseases, methylmalonic acidemia, and other conditions. It was the first in China to use zinc salts to treat hepatolenticular degeneration (Wilson disease). The team is also enthusiastic about public welfare and devoted to charitable work; it has successfully organized summer and winter diabetes camps and carried out diabetes education and public awareness activities. In the field of pediatric respiratory diseases, Professor Qu Zhenghai is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of common pediatric respiratory and allergic diseases and has extensive expertise in pediatric allergic diseases. The department mainly diagnoses and treats pediatric respiratory diseases such as laryngitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia, as well as allergic cough, childhood asthma, status asthmaticus, and other conditions. It has conducted epidemiological surveys of asthma among children in the Qingdao area, skin allergen testing, and pulmonary function testing; it carries out the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma, and achieves notable results through multiple approaches to treating childhood asthma. Specific immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis and asthma has reached an advanced national level. In the field of digestive system diseases, the digestive endoscopy examinations performed by Associate Chief Physician Wang Caixia have greatly improved the level of diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to the digestive system. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers, autoimmune intestinal diseases, gastrointestinal bleeding, and other conditions.

Teaching and Research Achievements

Over the past 5 years, our department has undertaken 2 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and more than 10 provincial- and municipal-level projects; it has received 3 Provincial Science and Technology Progress Awards and 5 Qingdao Science and Technology Progress Awards. More than 100 academic papers have been published, including 10 indexed in SCI.

In teaching, the medical team provides clinical instruction for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students; each year, it teaches 5–6 postgraduate students and 1–2 doctoral students. The nursing team also participates in nursing education, teaching 50–60 clinical interns each year, and has received positive feedback from students.

International Exchange

Chen Zhihong, Director of the Department of Pediatric Neurology and Endocrinology and Chief Physician, attended the Asia-Pacific Academic Conference on Pediatric Endocrinology in 2012, 2014, and 2016, participating in three consecutive conferences and presenting a poster.

New Technologies and New Programs

Video EEG Examination

Video electroencephalography (V-EEG) combines an EEG monitoring system with a video recording device to synchronously record the clinical manifestations of a patient’s epileptic seizures and the EEG. Physicians can carefully observe the patient’s clinical manifestations during a seizure using the video recordings and compare and analyze them against the synchronous EEG record, enabling more accurate determination of the seizure type and possible site of onset. At the same time, the patient’s activity status during different periods and the corresponding EEG changes can be accurately assessed, while various interference artifacts and electrode malfunctions can be promptly detected and excluded, improving the accuracy and reliability of EEG monitoring results. Video or television-recorded electroencephalography (Video-EEG) monitoring is the most effective examination method for differentiating the nature and type of epileptic seizures and is also one of the important bases widely used internationally for the classification of epilepsy and epileptic syndromes. It is currently becoming widespread in China. Its advantage is that it allows the patient’s seizure symptoms and EEG changes to be observed synchronously, unifying video images, sound, and EEG, and it has irreplaceable clinical value in the differential diagnosis and classification of epileptic seizures. In 2014, our department introduced the NICOLET EEG V32 (Nicolet video EEG examination, USA). The Nicolet video EEG examination from the United States combines an EEG monitoring system with a video recording device to synchronously record the clinical manifestations of a patient’s epileptic seizures and the EEG. Physicians can carefully observe the patient’s clinical manifestations during a seizure using the video recordings and compare and analyze them against the synchronous EEG record, enabling more accurate determination of the seizure type and possible site of onset. At the same time, the patient’s activity status during different periods and the corresponding EEG changes can be accurately assessed, while various interference artifacts and electrode malfunctions can be promptly detected and excluded, improving the accuracy and reliability of EEG monitoring results.

Insulin Pump and Dynamic Blood Glucose Monitoring System

An insulin pump consists of a pump, a small syringe, and a connected infusion tube. The small syringe can hold up to 3 milliliters of insulin. After the syringe is loaded into the pump, an insertion device is used to insert the guide needle at the front end of the connected infusion tube into the patient’s subcutaneous tissue, usually the abdominal wall. A battery-powered spiral motor in the insulin pump then drives the plunger of the small syringe to infuse insulin into the body. The basic purpose of an insulin pump is to simulate the secretory function of the pancreas by continuously delivering insulin into the user’s subcutaneous tissue at the dose required by the body, maintaining stable blood glucose throughout the day and thereby achieving diabetes control. In 2013, our department introduced the Medtronic 722 insulin pump. It is widely used clinically and has been well received by pediatric patients.

Pediatric Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

As public awareness of children’s health care has increased year by year, greater importance has also been attached to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric digestive tract diseases. Endoscopy can be used to perform tissue biopsies and make accurate diagnoses. It can also be used with various specially designed instruments to perform minimally invasive surgical treatments. Because these minimally invasive procedures offer the advantages of less trauma, high safety, rapid recovery, and low cost, they are better suited to the needs of pediatric patients. Our department performs pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy examinations; this year, more than 100 pediatric patients have already been treated.

Visiting Guide

Chief Physician Chen Zhihong: Tuesday, outpatient clinic at the Shinan Campus; Wednesday morning, outpatient clinic of the International Medical Department at the Shinan Campus; Thursday, outpatient clinic at the West Coast Campus Chief Physician Qu Zhenghai: Tuesday morning, outpatient clinic of the Huangdao Famous Physicians Clinic; Thursday morning, outpatient clinic at the Shinan Campus Chief Physician Shu Zhirong: Monday, outpatient clinic at the West Coast Campus; Tuesday morning, outpatient clinic of the Shinan Famous Physicians Clinic; Wednesday, outpatient clinic at the Shinan Campus; Friday, outpatient clinic at the Shinan Campus Chief Physician Hua Qing: Monday, outpatient clinic at the Shinan Campus; Wednesday, outpatient clinic at the West Coast Campus Associate Chief Physician Wang Caixia: Monday, outpatient clinic at the Shinan Campus; Friday, outpatient clinic at the West Coast Campus Associate Chief Physician Zhang Ying: Wednesday, outpatient clinic at the West Coast Campus; Thursday morning, specialized epilepsy clinic at the Shinan Campus