Urology

Urology Department Introduction

I. Department Overview

Date of establishment: professional group established in 1952; department established in 1978

Framework: “China Northern Urinary Tract Stone Prevention and Treatment Base”

“Peking University Institute of Applied Lithotripsy Technology”

“Peking University Institute of Men’s Health Management”

Key discipline: a dual key discipline of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education

The Department of Urology of Peking University People’s Hospital consists of inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, and a laboratory. It currently has one ward at each of the New Hospital and the Old Hospital. Old Hospital Ward 31 has 32 open beds, and New Hospital Ward 13A has 45 open beds, for a total of 77 beds. There are 64 established staff members (23 doctors, 40 nurses, and 1 technician); among the doctors, 9 hold senior professional titles and 10 hold associate-senior titles. Of the 23 physicians in the department, 17 have doctoral degrees and 3 have master’s degrees. Of the 40 nurses, 8 are nurse supervisors and 11 are professional nurses. The urology outpatient clinic has 5 consultation rooms, 1 andrology examination room, 1 urodynamic examination room, 1 urology treatment room, and 1 clinical pharmacology base office. The urology laboratory is used for experimental research by graduate students; there are currently 11 doctoral students and 8 master’s students enrolled.

The urology inpatient department is currently organized into 9 treatment groups, led respectively by 7 staff members with senior professional titles and 2 experienced staff members with associate-senior titles. In recent years, based on the main diseases treated in urology, the basic subspecialty structure has been established: the urinary tract stone group, the laparoscopic treatment group for urinary tract tumors, and the prostate disease group; the urinary continence and pelvic floor group, the andrology group, and the transplant group; the outpatient clinic also has an extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy group. In 2016, through the unremitting efforts of all colleagues in the department, the department developed steadily in medical care, education, and research. Urology has continued to maintain a leading position in China in the academic level of urinary tract stone diagnosis and treatment and functional urology, while andrology and laparoscopic minimally invasive techniques have also reached an advanced level in China.

II. New Technologies and New Projects Developed by the Department

(1) Flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy and stone extraction is a newly introduced project this year. This surgical method is used to treat difficult ureteral stones and relatively small renal stones. The procedure is even less invasive, involves a short hospital stay, and allows rapid recovery. In 2016, more than 200 such operations were completed.

(2) Robot-assisted laparoscopic technology in urology: in April 2015, our department began applying robot-assisted laparoscopic technology to urological diseases. A total of 23 robot-assisted laparoscopic operations have been completed, including technically difficult procedures such as radical cystectomy with an ileal orthotopic neobladder, radical prostatectomy, radical nephrectomy, and partial nephrectomy. Among the 4 hospitals in Beijing performing these operations during the same period, our department ranked among the leading institutions.

(3) Video laparoscopic technology in urology: our department was among the earliest in China to apply laparoscopic technology to urological diseases. At present, our department has comprehensively implemented and popularized laparoscopic surgery, and most operations are completed laparoscopically. In 2016, more than 466 laparoscopic operations were completed. Technically difficult procedures, including laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumors, radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, and radical cystectomy, have already become routine operations in the department.

(4) Percutaneous nephroscopy: percutaneous nephroscopy is a milestone in the treatment of urinary tract stones and an important component of minimally invasive urology. Over the years, our department has innovated, summarized, and applied a two-step, B-ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephroscopic technique for the minimally invasive treatment of upper urinary tract stones. Using B-ultrasound guidance for localization and puncture, we established an entirely new set of technical procedures and standards for the operation, resolving the technical bottleneck. Years of clinical validation have confirmed its high safety. Because this technique was introduced early, it has become a distinctive technique with a leading level in China and an advanced international level. In 2016, a total of 383 percutaneous nephroscopic lithotripsy and stone extraction operations were completed. (5) Bladder augmentation with artificial material: in November 2015, the first bladder augmentation procedure using artificial material was completed. This method represents a new exploration and is at the leading level in China.

(6) Orthotopic sigmoid neobladder: the first orthotopic sigmoid neobladder procedure was performed, representing a new exploration of urinary diversion after total cystectomy.

(7) We discovered and proposed the concept of leather-like bladder cancer. It was presented at the oncology session of the 2016 CUA Annual Meeting and received widespread recognition and praise.