Nuclear Medicine

The Department of Nuclear Medicine of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, was established in 1994. After 30 years of research, innovation, and accumulated expertise, it has achieved very significant accomplishments in medical care, research, and teaching, and offers more than 50 programs in molecular imaging diagnosis, conventional radionuclide imaging diagnosis, and radionuclide-targeted therapy; it is the institution in the province with the most comprehensive range of radionuclide diagnosis and treatment programs. The Department is distributed across the Qingchun, Qiantang, Grand Canal, and Shaoxing campuses. It is currently equipped with 2 high-end digital PET/CT scanners and 3 advanced SPECT/CT scanners, and has established a powerful radionuclide imaging diagnostic center; in particular, its new large-scale radionuclide treatment ward has pioneered and established the management model and standards for radionuclide wards and has become a benchmark in the domestic industry. The department has 50 staff members in total: 27 physicians, 13 technologists, and 10 nurses. It has 2 supervisors of master's students, 27 staff members with master's degrees or higher, 8 with senior professional titles, and 15 with intermediate professional titles, and has become the strongest professional and technical team in this specialty in the province. The department undertakes the national continuing education program “New Advances in Standardized Procedures for Nuclear Medicine in Thyroid Diseases”. The program has been held for 8 consecutive editions and enjoys a high reputation both in the province and nationwide; the department has ranked among the top 5 in the Nuclear Medicine Reputation Ranking for East China in the Fudan China Hospital Rankings for many consecutive years.

Technical Advantages

Radionuclide Imaging Examinations: The department is equipped with the world's most advanced holographic digital PET/CT scanner (the PET/CT Discovery MI manufactured by GE, USA) and a new domestically manufactured digital PET/CT scanner (the umi550 manufactured by Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.). Digital PET/CT imaging offers significant advantages: image clarity and the ability to detect small lesions are both significantly improved, allowing more precise detection of millimeter-scale lesions; accuracy is greatly enhanced, providing more accurate differentiation of benign and malignant tumors and assessment of treatment efficacy; localization is more precise, and the medical radiation dose received by patients is reduced. High-quality images provide patients with the most accurate diagnostic and treatment results. The department now routinely performs imaging with several new targeted molecular probes, including PSMA imaging, primarily for prostate cancer, and AV45 imaging, used for Alzheimer's disease, thereby enhancing the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in oncology and cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and benefiting patients in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and throughout China. The department is equipped with 3 SPECT/CT scanners, including the most advanced SPECT/CT Symbia Intevo Bold manufactured by Siemens, Germany. It has 30 years of experience in clinical diagnostic applications and conducts molecular imaging diagnosis and radionuclide imaging examinations. Multiple innovative clinical diagnostic methods, including sentinel lymph node localization imaging, lung V/Q imaging, and cerebral dopamine transporter imaging, were all pioneered in the province, while the technique of diagnosing SIBO by combining gastrointestinal imaging with a hydrogen breath test has filled a gap in China.

Radionuclide Internal Radiotherapy: The radionuclide ward has 24 beds. Both its radiation protection conditions and its size are among the foremost in China. The ward has a beautiful environment and pays attention to details designed around patients' needs. It is specifically equipped with a video intercom system for family visits and a medical video ward-round system, both of which were first introduced in China's radionuclide wards. Medical management in the ward is standardized and nursing is attentive and thorough; it strives to create a safe, warm, and comfortable specialized radionuclide ward, relieve patients' psychological tension, and help them pass through the treatment period smoothly. The medical and nursing teams of the radionuclide ward at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital work in close cooperation, and have innovated and established the management model and standards for radionuclide wards, which have become a benchmark in the domestic industry. In 2017, the ward received the title of “National Top 10 Nursing Unit in Nuclear Medicine” awarded by the Nuclear Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. The radionuclide treatment ward takes iodine-131 treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer as its main treatment program, and has gradually introduced iodine-131 treatment for refractory hyperthyroidism, iodine-125 seeds for solid tumors, radium-223 treatment for cancer with bone metastases, targeted radioimmunotherapy for solid tumors, and other internal radionuclide therapies; it was the first institution in the province to carry out radium-223 treatment for prostate cancer with bone metastases.

Academic Standing

Institution of the former and incoming chairpersons of the Nuclear Medicine and Radiological Protection Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Association

Institution of the chairperson of the Nuclear Medicine Physicians Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Doctor Association

Institution serving as a Standing Committee member of the Nuclear Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association

Initiating institution of the China Nuclear Medicine Industry Technology Innovation Alliance

Institution serving as Vice Chair of the Yangtze River Delta Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Specialty Alliance

National standardized residency training base

Key member of the Thyroid Disease Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Center of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission

Key member of the Prostate Cancer Minimally Invasive Treatment Center of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine

One of the first batch of key subspecialties of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine — Thyroid Radionuclide Diagnosis and Treatment Subspecialty

Research Achievements

The department has led and undertaken more than 30 scientific research projects at the national, provincial/ministerial, and department/bureau levels.