Urology

Urology was one of the earliest urological specialties established in the autonomous region and was also among the first specialties authorized to confer master’s degrees. In 2002, it was designated a key discipline in clinical medicine by the Health Department of the autonomous region.

When the hospital was founded in 1958, Professors Bao Zhenmei and Zhang Baoluo were assigned to the hospital to provide diagnosis and treatment for urological diseases. At that time, there were 15 beds, and Professor Bao Zhenmei was responsible for directing the work of urology, making it the earliest-established urological specialty in the autonomous region. The department provided diagnosis and treatment for urological diseases including renal tuberculosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and bladder cancer. In 1962, it was the first in China to use a qualitative urinary VMA test to screen for and identify patients with pheochromocytoma, who were cured by surgical resection. It was the first in the region to use anterior pelvic exenteration to treat advanced female urinary fistulas. In 1965, it was the first in China to use internal iliac artery ligation to reduce blood loss during open prostatectomy. In 1976, renal autotransplantation was performed, resulting in the cure of secondary hypertension caused by renal artery stenosis. In 1982, it was among the earliest in China to use the degree of loss of ABO antigens to assess the prognosis of bladder cancer. In 1983, it proposed using an erythrocyte-counting method to measure blood loss during prostate surgery.

After the hospital’s inpatient department was expanded in 1985, the number of urology beds increased to 22. Subsequently, the department began providing transurethral electrosurgical resection, total cystectomy with urinary diversion, and adrenal tumor resection in succession. In 1986, it pioneered the use of pheochromocytoma enucleation to remove giant pheochromocytomas; this technique was included in the book Urologic Surgery. In 1990, it began performing allogeneic kidney transplantation to treat end-stage uremia. In 2006, the Department of Urology collaborated with the Department of General Surgery to successfully perform the autonomous region’s first combined pancreas-kidney transplantation.

In the late 1990s, the Department of Urology began extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. More than 200 cases of urinary tract stones were treated within three years, with a stone-fragmentation success rate exceeding 95%. Ureteroscopy was also performed for the diagnosis and treatment of ureteral stones in appropriately selected patients.

In recent years, our department has undergone further development and expansion in terms of the number of beds, equipment, and technology. In 2010, the number of beds in our department increased to 42, and in 2016 it expanded to 80. The main equipment includes urethrocystoscopes, ureteroscopes, resectoscopes, percutaneous nephroscopes, EMS lithotripters for ultrasonic lithotripsy and pneumatic ballistic lithotripsy, laser devices, laparoscopic surgery systems, ultrasonic surgical scalpel systems, urodynamic analyzers, biofeedback therapy devices, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripters, and an andrology diagnosis and treatment platform. In terms of treatment, the department performs surgeries encompassing nearly all urological procedures. Minimally invasive surgery has become the principal surgical approach. In addition to transurethral minimally invasive procedures, our department provides laparoscopic treatment for adrenal, renal, and ureteral diseases, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer, and uses ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephroscopy to treat urinary tract stones. It also provides treatment for renal failure through allogeneic kidney transplantation, urethral stricture, congenital hydronephrosis in children, pediatric hypospadias, pediatric tumors, bladder fistula, female stress urinary incontinence, interstitial cystitis, neurogenic bladder, and andrological diseases. Approximately 1,300 operations were performed throughout 2015, and the number of operations per bed ranked first in the autonomous region.

In addition, the outpatient department has a Urological Diagnosis and Treatment Center, which provides examinations and treatments including cystoscopy, including painless cystoscopy, urodynamic testing, biofeedback therapy, an andrology diagnosis and treatment platform, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, and bladder instillation. Two specialized outpatient clinics have also been established for andrology and voiding disorders. In 2015, the outpatient volume was approximately 30,000 visits.

[Staff Structure] There are 30 medical and nursing staff members, comprising 14 physicians and 16 nurses, including 4 chief physicians who are professors, 6 associate chief physicians who are associate professors, 1 associate chief nurse, 2 attending physicians, and 2 resident physicians. Among them, 5 hold doctoral degrees, 7 are graduate students in master’s programs, and 1 is a doctoral student.

[Teaching] Our department undertakes teaching for the school’s undergraduate programs in clinical medicine, dentistry, anesthesiology, medical imaging, integrated Chinese and Western medicine, nursing, and other specialties. Each year, there are 72 instructional hours of theoretical classes and 110 hours of practical training between classes. The department also undertakes clinical internships, lectures, teaching ward rounds, and other educational activities for undergraduate students. It has enrolled master’s graduate students in urology since 1980 and continues to do so. Since 2005, it has accepted trainees for standardized residency training from throughout the autonomous region.

[Research] The department has achieved major accomplishments in several areas, including internal iliac artery ligation to reduce intraoperative blood loss during prostatectomy, subcapsular resection of pheochromocytoma, and transurethral electrosurgical resection. These achievements received, respectively, one Autonomous Region Science and Technology Achievement Award, one second prize of the Autonomous Region Science and Technology Progress Award, and two third prizes of the Autonomous Region Science and Technology Progress Award. Professor Bao Zhenmei received a Decree of Merit certificate from the World Biographical Centre in Cambridge, United Kingdom. In the past five years, the department has received four research projects of various types from the hospital, the school, and the autonomous region.