Paediatric Surgery

The Department of Pediatric Surgery of Tongji Hospital Affiliated with Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was established in the early 1950s and is one of the earliest pediatric surgery specialties established among general hospitals nationwide. Our Department of Pediatric Surgery is a National Key Clinical Specialty, the institution serving as the chief editor of the Chinese Journal of Pediatric Surgery, the institution responsible for the chief editing of the Ministry of Health-planned undergraduate and postgraduate textbooks in pediatric surgery, one of the earliest institutions in China authorized to confer doctoral degrees in pediatric surgery, a resident training base of the American College of Surgeons, a national and Hubei Province standardized residency training base, the Hubei Provincial Pediatric Surgery Medical Quality Control Center, and the Hubei Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Hirschsprung Disease and Associated Disorders. Our department has undertaken more than 100 funded projects, including projects under the Overseas Excellent Young Scientists program of the National High-Level Talent Program, projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Health Commission, key R&D projects of Hubei Province, the provincial Department of Science and Technology, and others; the total funding amounts to nearly 30 million, and the research results have repeatedly received national- and provincial/ministerial-level science and technology achievement awards. It has ranked among the top in Fudan University’s national specialty reputation rankings for ten consecutive years and is a leader in pediatric surgery in Central and Southern China. Professor Feng Jiexiong, the academic leader, was elected chair-designate of the 11th Committee of the Pediatric Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. Pediatric General Surgery: We have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Hirschsprung disease, Hirschsprung-associated disorders, and chronic refractory constipation in children; we are the Hubei Provincial Medical Research Center for Hirschsprung Disease and Associated Disorders and led the completion of multiple domestic and international guidelines and expert consensuses on the diagnosis and treatment of Hirschsprung disease. Our department established China’s earliest Hirschsprung disease outpatient clinic and provides distinctive rehabilitation treatment after radical surgery for Hirschsprung disease, anorectal manometry, and histochemical examination of the rectal mucosa. We widely perform functional minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment techniques for constipation in infants and young children and were the first to invent transumbilical single-site laparoscopic-assisted heart-shaped anastomosis, significantly reducing surgical trauma and optimizing minimally invasive treatment. We were the first internationally to clearly propose the optimal timing for radical surgery and, focusing on preoperative nutritional assessment and nutritional intervention, have conducted multiple multicenter studies, proposed a systematic perioperative enhanced-recovery treatment plan, and comprehensively optimized perioperative treatment strategies. Focusing on prevention and treatment strategies for Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis, we have revealed its pathogenesis, proposed new targets for prevention and treatment, and comprehensively established an integrated diagnosis and treatment plan for postoperative complications. We perform sequential treatment of biliary atresia under a multidisciplinary collaboration model; the volume and difficulty of pediatric liver transplantation operations performed are among the highest in China, and, as the lead institution, we completed an international expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of biliary atresia. We are one of the earliest institutions in China to perform minimally invasive treatment of congenital biliary anomalies such as choledochal cysts and use advanced technologies, including robotics, laparoscopy, choledochoscopy, ERCP, and genetic diagnosis, for the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of children with obstructive jaundice. Pediatric Urology: We have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of common and difficult pediatric urinary system diseases, including genitourinary malformations such as various types of hydronephrosis, ureteral dilation, various complex hypospadias, cryptorchidism, hydrocele, concealed penis, renal dysplasia, and duplex kidney; tumors such as Wilms tumor, adrenal tumors, and testicular tumors; calculi; and voiding dysfunction. We are at the leading level in China, have distinctive technical expertise, and also emphasize individualized treatment, selecting the optimal treatment method according to the different characteristics of each child. We have extensive experience in various complex operations, such as urethral reconstruction; in minimally invasive surgery, we have also developed many original surgical techniques and can skillfully perform various minimally invasive procedures, including laparoscopy, cystoscopy, ureteroscopy, and da Vinci robotic surgery. Surgical success rates are high and treatment outcomes are good; the modified “pneumovesical ureteral reimplantation technique” was the first of its kind in China and worldwide. Pediatric Orthopedics: We have accumulated extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of various complex deformities, severe trauma, malignant tumors, rare diseases, and difficult acute and critical illnesses; our surgical technical advantages are prominent, our level of multidisciplinary collaboration is high, and we are at the leading level in China. Specialty features: individualized treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip and developmental dysplasia of the hip of all ages and different types; conservative and surgical treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head in children (Legg-Calve-Perthes disease); plaster-cast correction and surgical correction of congenital clubfoot and various deformities, with distinctive flap-design techniques for polydactyly and syndactyly that significantly reduce surgical scars; comprehensive treatment of severe trauma and multiple fractures, minimally invasive treatment of different types of fractures and dislocations at various sites, and treatment of secondary growth deformities after fractures and fracture nonunion, with particular expertise in minimally invasive surgical treatment of pediatric fractures and deformity correction; extensive performance of arthroscopic minimally invasive treatment techniques; minimally invasive surgical correction of various types of angular deformities of the lower limbs (O-shaped legs and X-shaped legs) and bone-lengthening procedures for unequal lower limbs; surgical treatment of lower-limb deformities caused by cerebral palsy and tethered spinal cord; limb-salvage surgery for malignant bone tumors; comprehensive treatment of rare diseases such as osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and mucopolysaccharidosis; and representation of the first-class level of pediatric orthopedics nationwide today. Pediatric Surgical Oncology: We perform comprehensive treatment of pediatric solid tumors, including hepatoblastoma, liver cancer, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, teratoma, and soft-tissue sarcomas such as rhabdomyosarcoma; we have distinctive insights into surgery, chemotherapy, and immuno-targeted therapy and formulate individualized plans based on the most cutting-edge clinical research. In particular, in surgery, we can perform minimally invasive procedures via the abdomen, retroperitoneoscopy, thoracoscopy, cystoscopy, and other approaches; the proficient application of fluorescence endoscopy in lung, liver, and kidney tumors provides assurance for precise surgical resection of pediatric solid tumors. The pediatric solid-tumor MDT provides more comprehensive and authoritative support and backing for surgical oncology, enabling children with tumors to achieve the best treatment outcomes. At the same time, we have accumulated extensive experience in treating various benign tumors in children, including hemangiomas, lymphangiomas, superficial tumors, benign teratomas, and tumors of neural origin, while achieving minimally invasive cosmetic effects. In recent years, we have accumulated extensive clinical experience from a large number of cases in the comprehensive treatment of hemangiomas and have led multicenter clinical research on hemangiomas, achieving good social benefits. Pediatric Thoracic Surgery: The specialty has continuously devoted itself to the standardized diagnosis and treatment of congenital thoracic diseases in children and can diagnose and treat various pediatric thoracic diseases. Using pediatric thoracoscopic minimally invasive technology, we routinely treat thoracic cage diseases such as pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum, and thoracic tumors; we are skilled in thoracoscopic lobar, segmental, and atypical resection techniques that preserve normal lung tissue for treating congenital pulmonary malformations such as congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung, pulmonary sequestration, and lobar emphysema, as well as in thoracoscopic treatment of diaphragmatic hernia, diaphragmatic eventration, mediastinal tumors, esophageal atresia, esophageal cysts, and various difficult pediatric mediastinal and diaphragmatic conditions. All types of conditions are treated in combination with enhanced-recovery surgical care, resulting in minimal trauma, rapid recovery, and few complications. At the same time, the specialty keeps abreast of the latest international developments, vigorously promotes the application of authoritative international guidelines domestically, and, in combination with domestic circumstances, has participated in formulating, writing, and promoting China’s own pediatric thoracic surgery practice guidelines and diagnostic and treatment standards, playing an important role in advancing the scientific, standardized, and rapid development of pediatric thoracic surgery in China. The specialty also continues to investigate the pathogenesis of congenital cystic lung lesions and the screening of new immune targets and application of new pathways for secondary pulmonary infection. It has developed a new strategy using nebulized inhalation of indocyanine green for precise intraoperative localization of pulmonary cystic lesions and precise treatment of the lesions, opening up a new field of early diagnosis and precise treatment of pulmonary cystic lesions and achieving a series of innovative results. Pediatric Plastic Surgery: The daily services of plastic surgery include outpatient care, emergency care, inpatient wards, and specialized disease treatment. We have extensive experience in repairing various wounds, soft-tissue reconstruction and scar treatment of the extremities and trunk, treatment of hemangiomas and vascular malformations, and correction of congenital and acquired deformities of the hands and feet. We widely perform various techniques, including pediatric cosmetic surgery, microsurgery, hand surgery, functional repair, and reconstructive surgery. Neonatal Surgery: Neonatal surgery mainly focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital structural deformities in newborns, provides prenatal counseling and postnatal management of congenital structural deformities in fetuses, and was the first in China to implement intrapartum surgery, with a number of cases ranking among the highest nationwide. We have extensive experience in treating congenital structural deformities such as esophageal atresia, diaphragmatic hernia, hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, intestinal atresia, anal atresia, annular pancreas, intestinal malrotation, omphalocele, and vitelline duct remnant anomalies, as well as neonatal surgical emergencies and critical illnesses such as gastric rupture and necrotizing enterocolitis of the newborn, and have achieved good treatment outcomes.