Obstetrics and Gynaecology

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University is a National Clinical Key Specialty, one of the first clinical key disciplines designated by the former Anhui Provincial Department of Health, and the earliest authorized site in Anhui Province for master's and doctoral degrees in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a postdoctoral research station. The department is currently home to the “Anhui Provincial Sub-center of the National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric and Gynecologic Diseases” and the “Anhui Clinical Research Center for Obstetric and Gynecologic Diseases.” It has established multiple high-level research platforms at the ministerial and provincial levels, including the “Key Laboratory of Gametes and Reproductive Tract Abnormalities of the National Health Commission,” the “Engineering Research Center for Preservation of Life Resources and Artificial Organs of the Ministry of Education,” the “Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Disorders and Obstetric and Gynecologic Diseases,” the “Anhui Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Preservation of Life Resources and Artificial Organs,” and the “Anhui International Joint Research Center for Reproductive Health.” In addition, the department has established the only human sperm bank in Anhui Province.

The department currently has 444 healthcare professionals, including 158 physicians, 15 doctoral supervisors, and 59 master's supervisors; among them are 23 chief physicians, 39 deputy chief physicians, and 70 attending physicians; there are 52 researchers and technicians; 257 nurses, including 2 chief nurse specialists, 5 deputy chief nurse specialists, and 181 nurse-in-charges.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is distributed across the Jixi Road Campus, the Gaoxin Campus, and the Southern Campus, and comprises three subspecialties: gynecology, obstetrics, and the Reproductive Medicine Center. The department includes 10 wards (Obstetrics and Gynecology Obstetrics Ward 1 (Jixi Road), Obstetrics and Gynecology Obstetrics Ward 2 (Jixi Road), Obstetrics and Gynecology Obstetrics Ward 3 (Gaoxin), Obstetrics and Gynecology Obstetrics Ward 4 (Gaoxin), Obstetrics and Gynecology Obstetrics Ward 5 (Southern Campus), Obstetrics and Gynecology Gynecology Ward 1 (Gaoxin), Obstetrics and Gynecology Gynecology Ward 2 (Gaoxin), Obstetrics and Gynecology Gynecology Ward 3 (Jixi Road), Obstetrics and Gynecology Gynecology Ward 4 (Southern Campus), and Obstetrics and Gynecology Minimally Invasive and Reproductive Surgery Ward (Gaoxin)), and offers specialty outpatient services including the Reproductive Center outpatient clinic, the Prenatal Diagnosis Center outpatient clinic, and the Cervical Disease Center outpatient clinic.

The department has more than 420 beds, approximately 780,000 outpatient visits annually, more than 28,000 annual inpatient visits, and more than 18,000 surgical procedures annually.

The major routine diagnostic and treatment services provided by the Gynecology Department include surgeries for various gynecologic malignancies (comprehensive staging surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer under laparoscopy, laparoscopic sentinel lymph node biopsy for endometrial cancer, open radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer plus retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, comprehensive staging surgery for early-stage ovarian cancer, total pelvic peritonectomy and pelvic exenteration, as well as resection of lesions involving the diaphragm, perihepatic region, and splenic hilum for advanced ovarian cancer, and laparoscopic inguinal lymph node dissection for vulvar cancer), and various pelvic floor surgeries (transvaginal endoscopic or laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, vaginal sacrospinous ligament suspension, vaginal high uterosacral ligament suspension, iliococcygeus ligament vaginal suspension, transvaginal surgery for correction of urinary incontinence, and pelvic floor reconstruction).

The major routine diagnostic and treatment services provided by the Obstetrics Department include in utero fetal therapy (fetoscopic laser coagulation, radiofrequency ablation fetal reduction, potassium chloride fetal reduction, intrauterine fetal transfusion, thoracic-amniotic cavity shunting, amnioinfusion, amnioreduction, fetal paracentesis for ascites, and pharmacological treatment of fetal arrhythmias) and various types of cervical cerclage (laparoscopic cervical cerclage, extremely simplified cervical cerclage, and emergency cervical cerclage).

The major routine diagnostic and treatment services provided by the Reproductive Center include the establishment of the first mitochondrial genetic disease counseling clinic in China and the use of PGTM technology to treat mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, precision diagnosis and treatment of difficult infertility based on genetic diagnosis, the use of oocyte activation technology to diagnose and treat infertile patients with fertilization disorders, and microdissection testicular sperm extraction for non-obstructive azoospermia and other conditions.

Key technological programs and priority development directions:

1. Gynecologic malignancy surgery: The department has routinely performed various gynecologic tumor surgeries and will focus in the future on cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer (combined pelvic and multiple-organ resection, En-bloc) and modified laparoscopic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer.

2. Intrauterine fetal therapy: The department has routinely performed various intrauterine fetal therapies. The introduction of several technologies, including fetoscopic laser coagulation, radiofrequency ablation fetal reduction, potassium chloride fetal reduction, intrauterine fetal transfusion, fetal thoracic-amniotic cavity shunting, fetal paracentesis for ascites, and pharmacological treatment of fetal arrhythmias, has filled gaps in these services within the province. In the future, the department will focus on the development of fetoscopic surgery, with emphasis on fetoscopic tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia and fetoscopic balloon dilation for fetal pulmonary atresia. In addition, in collaboration with Pediatric Surgery, the department will develop ex utero intrapartum treatment technologies, including ex utero intrapartum airway establishment, ex utero intrapartum extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and ex utero intrapartum mass resection.

3. Critical obstetric illness treatment and rescue technologies: Our hospital is the Anhui Provincial Center for the Treatment and Rescue of Obstetric Emergencies and Critical Illnesses. We will focus on developing treatment and rescue technologies for various severe complications and comorbidities of pregnancy (including heart disease complicating pregnancy, hematologic diseases complicating pregnancy, rheumatic and immune-system diseases complicating pregnancy, and the treatment and rescue of severe obstetric hemorrhage).

4. Assisted reproductive technologies: The assisted reproductive technology for mitochondrial genetic diseases performed at our hospital is currently at a leading level in China, and we will continue to further develop this field in the future.

Departmental Honors

Over the past five years, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has undertaken more than 180 national and provincial/ministerial research projects, including Key Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, key projects supported by the National Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund, the National Science and Technology Major Project for Major New Drug Development, and the Young Scientists Project under the National Key Research and Development Program. More than 400 high-level SCI papers have been published, including papers in Nature and Nature Cell Biology. The department has hosted or co-hosted more than 60 academic conferences. It has received more than 20 awards, including the First Prize of the Anhui Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award and the First Prize of the National Maternal and Child Health Science and Technology Award. Nine national invention patents have been granted, of which 2 have been commercialized. As editors-in-chief, chief translators, deputy editors-in-chief, and editorial board members, department personnel have contributed to 16 academic monographs, including Obstetrics and Gynecology; as leading experts, authors, corresponding authors, and editorial board members, they have contributed to approximately 40 expert consensuses, including the Chinese Expert Consensus on Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Technology.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has outstanding medical professionals, sophisticated medical technologies, first-class medical equipment, and a high-quality nursing team. We have always pursued the goal of “serving clinical practice through scientific research and achieving the translation of scientific research findings,” thereby building strong clinical and research capabilities. Two individuals receive special allowances from the State Council, 4 are recognized as “Jianghuai Famous Doctors” of Anhui Province, 6 are academic leaders or reserve academic leaders of Anhui Province, 2 are leading innovation and entrepreneurship talents under the “Special Support Plan” of Anhui Province, 1 is a Distinguished Young Scientist of the Anhui Provincial Department of Science and Technology, 2 are Excellent Young Scientists of the Anhui Provincial Department of Science and Technology, 1 is a Distinguished Young Scientist of the Anhui Provincial Department of Education, 2 are Excellent Young Scientists of the Anhui Provincial Department of Education, 3 are Outstanding Teaching Professors of Anhui Province, 1 is a Wanjiang Scholar, 1 is a Young Wanjiang Scholar, 2 have received the Anhui Province “May 1st” Labor Medal, and 2 are Anhui Province Gold Medal Employees. One individual is a National Health Commission Expert with Outstanding Contributions in the Middle-Young Age Group, and 1 is a National Outstanding Science and Technology Worker.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has outstanding medical professionals, sophisticated medical technologies, first-class medical equipment, and a high-quality nursing team. We have always pursued the goal of “serving clinical practice through scientific research and achieving the translation of scientific research findings,” thereby building strong clinical and research capabilities.