General Surgery Gastrointestinal Surgery Center

| Basic Overview and History |--------------

The Department of General Surgery at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, is a national-level key discipline, a key discipline developed under the national Project 211 and Project 985 initiatives, and a clinical key specialty of the National Health Commission. The department has a long history and an outstanding record of achievement. Since its establishment in 1932, the Department of General Surgery has undergone more than 90 years of development and has become a leading clinical medical center in China and a world-class center integrating medical care, teaching, and research.

In 1985, in response to the needs of the times, the Department of General Surgery at Huashan Hospital implemented a specialization reform and was divided into five major specialist groups: gastrointestinal, colorectal and anorectal, hepatobiliary, vascular, and breast and thyroid surgery.

The Huashan Hospital Gastrointestinal Surgery Center, newly established in 2023, resulted from the strong merger of two specialist groups in the Department of General Surgery: the gastrointestinal group led by Professor Le Zhuqin and the colorectal and anorectal group led by Xu Jinhua. At that time, the leaders of the two specialist groups were concurrently Professor Zhang Yanling, Lifetime Professor of Huashan Hospital, and Professor Xue Guanghua, Director of General Surgery, respectively.

The Huashan Hospital Gastrointestinal Surgery Center is one of the principal key specialties within the general surgery system. It is a traditional core department and an area of strength within Huashan Hospital’s Department of General Surgery, undertaking all diagnostic and treatment services for a broad range of diseases, including tumors of the cardia, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, colon, rectum, and retroperitoneum.

| Basic Structure of the Center |--------------

The Gastrointestinal Surgery Center has exceptionally strong facilities, staffing, and technical capabilities. It currently has 65 permanently available beds and 20 specialist physicians; 6 professors (chief physicians), 6 associate professors (deputy chief physicians), 2 doctoral supervisors, and 2 master’s supervisors.

| Clinical Features |--------------

Meticulous craftsmanship, forging excellence

The Huashan Hospital Gastrointestinal Surgery Center has always upheld the philosophy of being patient-centered. Adhering to the surgical tradition of pursuing continuous improvement and excellence, it is committed to extending patients’ survival and improving their quality of life. The center is committed to precision treatment, placing patients at the center and combining international-standard diagnostic and treatment protocols with individualized precision therapy. It has developed a multidisciplinary integrated diagnosis and treatment system centered on surgery, providing patients with gastrointestinal tumors with the most advanced and highest-quality comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and medical services.

Technology-led, innovation-driven

1. Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery | Precision Minimally Invasive Surgery, at the International Frontier

Totally laparoscopic/fully robotic-assisted radical surgery for gastrointestinal cancer, reducing trauma and improving precision

Pioneering new anus-preserving procedures for ultra-low rectal cancer, giving equal priority to radical tumor treatment and functional preservation

2. Advanced Anastomotic Techniques | First Developed in China, Internationally Leading

SPLT technique (self-pulling and later transection anastomosis)

HEFT technique (fissure-method esophagogastric anastomosis)

Promoting the adoption of totally laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (TLG) in China

3. Function-Preserving Surgery | Pursuing the Ultimate, Refined Treatment

Proximal gastrectomy (PG)

Pylorus-preserving distal gastrectomy (PPG), providing an improved option for patients with early gastric cancer

4. Precision Lymph Node Dissection | Visualization-Guided, Improving Therapeutic Efficacy

Splenic hilar lymph node dissection (laparoscopic spleen-preserving surgery)

Transabdominal mediastinal lymph node dissection (transhiatal approach)

Fluorescence-guided lymph node dissection, improving surgical precision

5. Anus-Preserving Surgery for Low Colorectal Cancer | Functional Preservation, Improved Quality of Life

ISR (intersphincteric resection), enabling anus preservation in ultra-low rectal cancer

IF anastomosis (anastomosis of the ischemic intestinal loop in stoma-free ISR), a leading technique in China

6. Intraoperative Tumor Blockade Technology | A Technique to Prevent Intraoperative Cancer Cell Dissemination, a Cutting-Edge Breakthrough

An original tumor-blockade technique that interrupts blood flow, lymphatic flow, and intraluminal dissemination in the tumor region during surgery, reducing the risk of recurrence

7. Intraoperative Automatic Traction and Fixation Technology | Improving Surgical Precision and Reducing Minute Human Tremors During Operative Manipulation

Automatically retracting tissue during surgery and freeing both of the assistant’s hands to support the primary surgeon in performing even more refined procedures

8. Treatment of Peritoneal Metastases | Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Precision Intervention

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion therapy combined with multidisciplinary tumor diagnosis and treatment (MDT) for precision treatment

| Teaching Features |--------------

Passing on the essence, nurturing talent

As a leading national center for general surgery education, the Huashan Hospital Gastrointestinal Surgery Center undertakes the training of undergraduate students, graduate students, residents, and physicians undertaking advanced training. Its teaching content covers multiple fields, including basic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors.

The “One Surgical Lecture Every Week” teaching lecture series, continuously deepening education

Leading the “Home for Visiting Trainees” educational activities to promote academic exchange

Compiling textbooks: Extreme Anus Preservation: Advances in Intersphincteric Resection; Illustrated Totally Laparoscopic Radical Gastrectomy—SPLT Technique

Producing public-health animations on gastrointestinal tumors to improve public health awareness

| Research Features |--------------

Pursuing excellence, creating the future

The Huashan Hospital Gastrointestinal Surgery Center has always stood at the forefront of basic research and clinical translation. It is committed to advancing innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors and exploring cutting-edge fields including precision medicine, minimally invasive surgery, and intelligent surgery.

Responsible for undertaking major national scientific research projects

National Major Basic Research Special Project

National Major Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Special Project

National Natural Science Foundation of China (8 projects)

Undertaking multiple research projects funded by Shanghai key funds, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, and the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission

Translation of research achievements: two invention patents have entered clinical application

| Leading Team |--------------

Renowned physicians assembled, elite experts united

Director

Huang Guangjian | Professor, Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor

Shanghai Outstanding Academic Leader

Deputy editor-in-chief of the third edition of the authoritative work Practical Surgery

Deputy Directors

Xiang Jianbin | Professor, Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor, Visiting Scholar in Colorectal Surgery at Mayo Clinic, USA

Hao Hankun | Chief Physician, Master’s Supervisor, Visiting Scholar at Cleveland Clinic, USA

Huashan’s commitment, forging brilliance

As one of the leading disciplines in gastrointestinal surgery in China, the Huashan Hospital Gastrointestinal Surgery Center consistently promotes high-quality development in gastrointestinal surgery through outstanding medical quality, cutting-edge technological innovation, rigorous teaching and training, and leading research achievements, providing patients with higher-quality, more precise, and more human-centered medical services.

Ninety years of dedicated craftsmanship have accumulated; the ascent toward the future continues!