Gastroenterology

The Department of Gastroenterology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, was established in 1994. It is a comprehensive department integrating clinical care, medical research, teaching for Clinical Medicine III, and a provincial standardized training base. It is a doctoral degree-granting site in Gastroenterology of Clinical Medicine III at Zhejiang University School of Medicine. It has four inpatient units at the Qingchun Campus, Qiantang Campus, Grand Canal Campus, and Shaoxing Campus. It currently records more than 320,000 outpatient visits and more than 20,000 hospital discharges annually, with nearly 180,000 endoscopic procedures per year. The discipline was also shortlisted in Peking University’s assessment of clinical disciplines among China’s best clinical disciplines and received a nomination for the best specialty in East China in Fudan University’s China Hospital Rankings. The department currently has 70 clinical physicians, including 29 senior professional and technical personnel; 41 hold doctoral degrees and 29 hold master’s degrees. It also has 12 full-time research personnel, 1 Qiushi visiting professor, 2 adjunct professors, 3 specially appointed research fellows, 1 specially appointed associate research fellow, 5 research assistants, and 6 technicians. Several members of the discipline have served or currently serve as vice chairpersons of the Gastroenterology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, members of various study groups or collaborative groups, vice presidents of the Gastroenterologists Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and chairpersons or vice chairpersons of the Gastroenterology Branch and the Digestive Endoscopy Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Association. Most physicians have undertaken further study and training in Europe and the United States.

The Department of Gastroenterology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital is characterized by the development of subspecialties in inflammatory bowel disease, hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases, gastrointestinal motility disorders, and the diagnosis and treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer. It houses the National Regional Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease; is a national demonstration center for standardized outpatient diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection; a member institution of the first group of working units for the diagnosis and treatment of the rare disease hereditary angioedema under the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission; a gastrointestinal motility research center and training base; an advanced training center for the standardized colonoscopy training program; and a multi-center clinical research unit and base for the treatment of internal hemorrhoids and esophageal varices with lauromacrogol injection based on LrDRf typing. The Department of Gastroenterology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital has long been committed to the standardized diagnosis and treatment of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and various difficult intestinal diseases of unknown cause. It has accumulated exceptionally rich experience, receives large numbers of difficult referral patients from throughout the country every year, and provides the most advanced diagnostic and treatment plans through team decision-making and joint diagnosis and treatment. The department’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center is one of the country’s outstanding inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis and treatment centers. It is the leading institution of the Zhejiang Provincial Inflammatory Bowel Disease Alliance, and its Crohn’s disease diagnosis and treatment technology has ranked first in Zhejiang Province in DRGs for many consecutive years. It has also established one of the largest inflammatory bowel disease data sample repositories in China. In recent years, the department has pursued in-depth development of its hepatobiliary and pancreatic subspecialty, carrying out various endoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases and possessing advanced and extensive experience in endoscopic interventional diagnosis and treatment of the pancreaticobiliary system and in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic duct stones, biliary and pancreatic tumors, and related diseases. Motility testing and comprehensive treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders have always been areas of strength for the department, which enjoys a reputation in China. Comprehensive treatment of chronic refractory constipation, standardized diagnosis and treatment and optimized endoscopic treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric and intestinal pacing for gastrointestinal motility disorders, and comprehensive diagnosis and nutritional intervention for irritable bowel syndrome are all at the leading level in China. The Department of Gastroenterology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital pioneered surveillance and intervention-blocking technology for precancerous lesions of the digestive tract and established computer-simulated calibrated biopsy technology. It has a clear advantage in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques such as endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastrointestinal cancer, and its clinical standard is leading in Zhejiang Province. In recent years, the department has also made substantial progress in small-bowel endoscopy and various treatments, including stricture dilation/incision and fistula-orifice closure, minimally invasive endoscopic treatment of hemorrhoids, standardized diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, standardized diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of chronic noninfectious liver disease, and fecal microbiota transplantation. As a long-term practitioner in Zhejiang Province’s key scientific and technological innovation teams and research-oriented clinical disciplines, the Department of Gastroenterology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital actively conducts extensive high-level basic and clinical research. The department has research platforms including the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the National Level-3 Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Physiology of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Institute of Gastroenterology of Zhejiang University. Its research focuses on important digestive-disease issues, including the gene-environment-immunity interactions in inflammatory bowel disease; neural functional regulation and microecological nutritional therapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders; and the intestinal microbiota, intestinal aging, the mechanisms of occurrence and development of early digestive-tract tumors, and prevention and treatment technologies. It strives to conduct scientific research exploration based on clinical problems.

Technical Strengths

The Department of Gastroenterology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital is a key medical discipline in Zhejiang Province and a doctoral program in Clinical Medicine at Zhejiang University School of Medicine. It specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive-system diseases, including esophageal and gastrointestinal diseases and hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases. It has extensive diagnostic and treatment experience and places equal emphasis on conventional technical medicines and cutting-edge medical technologies and medicines. The department has multiple subspecialty teams integrating clinical care, research, and teaching. Its technical workforce is well established and has produced abundant achievements, and it enjoys considerable academic prestige and recognition in China. In addition to diagnosing and treating common diseases, the department operates disease-specific clinics to provide higher-quality services to the broad patient population; the disease-specific clinics provide higher-quality services.

Intestinal Disease Subspecialty:

This subspecialty is committed to the standardized diagnosis and treatment of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and various small- and large-intestinal diseases of unknown cause. As one of the national inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis and treatment centers, it has all biologic agents and new-drug clinical trials currently available in China. Its patients come from all parts of the country, and its Crohn’s disease DRGs ranking has been first in Zhejiang Province for many consecutive years. Every year it treats large numbers of difficult referral inpatients from across the country and has gradually become a nationally renowned specialized referral center for difficult intestinal diseases. It has already diagnosed many uncommon and rare diseases that are difficult to diagnose and treat, including hereditary angioedema; gene-related difficult intestinal diseases such as SLCO2A1-related chronic enteropathy; eosinophilic gastroenteritis; lymphoproliferative diseases; Piao disease; Kimura disease; familial Mediterranean fever; mitochondrial encephalomyopathy; and autoinflammatory diseases.

Gastrointestinal Motility Subspecialty:

This subspecialty is committed to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to gastrointestinal motility. It has the largest gastrointestinal motility testing laboratory in Zhejiang Province and has a certain influence throughout China. It specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of reflux esophagitis, psychosomatic gastrointestinal diseases, constipation, functional abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, and other diseases. It has extensive technical experience in the comprehensive treatment of chronic refractory constipation, medical and endoscopic treatment of reflux esophagitis, gastric pacing for gastroparesis, and esophageal and anal manometry.

Gastrointestinal Early Cancer Subspecialty:

This subspecialty is committed to the diagnosis and treatment of precancerous lesions and early cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. It specializes in surveillance and intervention-blocking of digestive-tract precancerous lesions and has extensive diagnostic and treatment experience in gastrointestinal polyps, gastrointestinal masses, atrophic gastritis, gastric intestinal metaplasia, gastrointestinal precancerous lesions, early gastrointestinal cancer, achalasia of the cardia, and other diseases. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for resection of early gastrointestinal cancer and endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) have ranked among the leading procedures in Zhejiang Province in DRGs for many consecutive years.

Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Subspecialty:

This subspecialty is committed to the diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases. It has extensive diagnostic and treatment experience in common bile duct stones, biliary strictures or hyperplasia, jaundice, pancreatic masses, acute and chronic pancreatitis, esophageal and gastric fundal varices, internal hemorrhoids, cirrhosis, fatty liver, autoimmune liver disease, and other diseases. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), including endoscopic papillotomy and extraction of common bile duct stones; biliary and pancreatic duct stent placement for the treatment of biliary and pancreatic tumors; diagnosis and treatment of diseases by endoscopic ultrasonography; and treatment of esophageal and gastric fundal varices or internal hemorrhoids all rank among the leading technologies in Zhejiang Province.

Academic Standing

Key Medical Discipline of Zhejiang Province

Zhejiang University Clinical Medicine Doctoral Degree Program

National Health Commission Specialized Resident Physician Training Base for Gastroenterology

National Regional Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

National Demonstration Center for Standardized Outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Gastrointestinal Motility Research Center and Training Base

Advanced Training Center for the Standardized Colonoscopy Training Program

Member Institution of the Working Group for the Diagnosis and Treatment of the Rare Disease Hereditary Angioedema, First Group Established by the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission

Multi-Center Clinical Research Unit and Base for the Treatment of Internal Hemorrhoids and Esophageal Varices with Lauromacrogol Injection Based on LrDRf Typing

Research Achievements

Key and supporting disciplines for digestive diseases in Zhejiang Province; National Pharmacological Clinical Research Base for Digestive Diseases; National Level-3 Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Physiology of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Institute of Gastroenterology of Zhejiang University; Gastric Cancer Research Team of the Zhejiang University Cancer Institute; and Zhejiang Provincial Innovative Research Team for Gastrointestinal Diseases. It also includes the Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang University, the Zhejiang Provincial key discipline of Internal Medicine, the Zhejiang University doctoral and master’s training site in digestive diseases, and the Ministry of Health training base for digestive-disease specialists. The department has undertaken nearly 100 major medical and pharmaceutical technology development projects, including the National 863 Target-Oriented Program, 973 subprojects, key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, major provincial and ministerial projects, and major medical scientific research projects. It has received more than 20 awards, including the Chinese Medical Award, the First Prize of the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Zhejiang Medical and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology Innovation Award. It has published more than 10 books and nearly 300 influential academic papers, including papers in Immunity, Gut, Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Journal of Gastroenterology, and Gut Microbes. Its research findings have been recognized and cited by authoritative international guidelines.. It has received 1 Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award, 6 provincial science and technology progress awards, 1 provincial science and technology award, 1 provincial medical and health science and technology innovation award, and other awards. It has led or participated in the formulation of dozens of national diagnosis and treatment standards and guidelines, including the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Crohn’s Disease in China, the Expert Consensus on the Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in China, the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in China, and the Chinese Expert Consensus on Chronic Constipation. While continuously producing high-level research achievements, it is committed to translating research achievements into clinical practice. It has obtained 5 authorized domestic and international medical invention patents, 7 utility model patents, and 3 medical-device production certificates and new-drug clinical approval documents, contributing to new clinical therapies and new standards for diagnosis and treatment.