Otolaryngology

The Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University is a national master's postgraduate training and authorization base, a national resident physician training base, the Liaoning Provincial “Newborn-Infant Hearing Disorder Diagnosis and Treatment Center”, the Dalian Disabled Persons’ Federation designated hospital for the “Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation Program”, the Chinese Medical Association’s “Clinical Vertigo Diagnosis and Treatment Center”, and the “China-Denmark Clinical Vertigo Research Cooperation Center”; it is the medical, teaching, research, and academic exchange center for otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery in southern Liaoning, and also the only key otorhinolaryngology clinical specialty in Liaonan (there are 3 in Liaoning Province). In Fudan University’s ranking of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery specialties in Northeast China, it has ranked first in Liaonan for three consecutive years (seventh in Northeast China). The department’s annual outpatient and emergency volume exceeds 10 ten-thousand patient-visits, and its annual inpatient volume is 2000 patient-visits, 90% of whom are surgical patients. The huge number of surgeries has laid the foundation for the department’s medical technology and also demonstrated the medical level of its staff.

The department consists of wards, an outpatient clinic, an emergency department, a hearing-vestibular function testing room, and an endoscopy room; it has two inpatient wards, Unit One (Changchun Road Campus) and Unit Three (Jinpu Campus), with a total of 55 beds. At present, the department has a highly qualified technical backbone team, mainly composed of PhD and master’s degree holders, with rich medical experience. There are currently 26 clinical physicians, including 12 professors and 3 associate professors; senior professional titles account for 58%; 7 hold doctoral degrees (27%), and 2 are doctoral candidates; 15 hold master’s degrees (58%). Many serve as members of national- and provincial-level medical associations and as editorial board members of journals. It has received 2 second prizes and 3 third prizes for Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Progress, as well as 1 third prize for the Dalian Municipal Government Science and Technology Award. More than ten provincial/ministerial- and municipal-level scientific research projects have been approved. In the past three years, the department has completed or is conducting 2 National Natural Science Foundation projects and has published 10 SCI papers as first or corresponding author. In recent years, the hospital has provided strong support for talent cultivation and medical equipment, with nearly ten million yuan invested in purchasing a CO2 laser therapy device, an operating microscope, equipment related to vestibular function testing, and more.

Introduction to the subspecialties:

Head and Neck Tumor Specialty: For patients with head and neck tumors, emphasis is placed on comprehensive tumor treatment. The department organizes MDT multidisciplinary joint consultations to determine the optimal comprehensive treatment plan for each tumor patient. Postoperative survival rates for various head and neck tumors are better than the international average. It emphasizes minimally invasive surgery and has performed minimally invasive laser resection of laryngeal tumors, avoiding traditional tracheotomy and shortening patients’ postoperative recovery time; it is at an advanced national level.

Nasal Specialty: It performs surgical treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis, sinus cysts, nasal mycosis, inverted papilloma, and malignant tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Each year, the department performs approximately 1000 septoplasties and functional endoscopic sinus surgeries, achieving good clinical results and social impact; correction of a deviated nose is at an advanced level domestically.

Otologic Surgery Specialty: It performs open and canal-wall-up mastoidectomy + tympanoplasty, ossicular chain reconstruction, complete facial nerve decompression, facial nerve grafting, jugular bulb tumor resection, acoustic neuroma resection, and other otologic microsurgical procedures. Its surgical treatment of chronic otitis media has reached an advanced technical level in Liaoning Province, and it holds a leading technical position in southern Liaoning, driving the development of otologic microsurgery in Dalian and surrounding areas.

Vertigo Diagnosis and Treatment Center: Otology specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vertiginous disorders and has established the Northeast’s first national vertigo diagnosis and treatment center. The center is equipped with the most advanced and comprehensive vertigo testing and rehabilitation equipment in China, such as an infrared video nystagmography instrument, a static balance analyzer, a sinusoidal harmonic acceleration rotary chair, and an otoacoustic emissions analyzer, as well as a complete set of vestibular rehabilitation facilities. It conducts a complete series of vestibular function tests, including caloric testing, electronystagmography, infrared video nystagmography, a head-shaking test instrument, sinusoidal harmonic acceleration rotation testing, saccade, visual tracking, fixation, optokinetic function testing, positional nystagmus testing, positional-change nystagmus testing, balance-platform testing, vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing, and other neuro-otological examinations such as the glycerol test and otoacoustic emissions.

Snoring Disorder Diagnosis and Treatment Center: It has diagnostic and treatment equipment including a polysomnography monitor, a fully automatic respiratory therapy device, an OLYMPUS electronic nasopharyngolaryngoscope, and an American Jieshi plasma ablation device. It can conduct detailed examinations and assessments of patients with snoring disorders, formulate individualized treatment plans, and provide treatments such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation, and continuous positive airway pressure, enabling all patients to receive appropriate treatment.