Neurology

The Department of Neurology of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is one of the earliest established neurology departments in China specializing in integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. After nearly 40 years of departmental development and the joint efforts of several generations, the Department of Neurology has formed a strong medical team specializing in the integrated treatment of nervous system diseases, with extensive research and teaching experience. The department has 2 doctoral supervisors and 2 master's supervisors.

In 2009, after establishing a stroke unit and a specialized emergency service for neurology, the department launched a green channel for intravenous thrombolysis during the hyperacute phase of ischemic stroke and gradually improved endovascular interventional treatment, represented by arterial thrombectomy. On this basis, combined with traditional Chinese medicine decoctions, acupuncture, and functional rehabilitation, the department has greatly reduced the mortality and disability rates associated with stroke.

At present, the department has appointed Jianpeng Ma, a tenured professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the United States, as a visiting professor. It conducts distinctive acupuncture treatment for difficult and complicated conditions such as motor neuron disease; jointly develops brain-function rehabilitation based on neural-circuit mechanisms and neuromodulation technologies with the Department of Rehabilitation; uses functional magnetic resonance imaging in collaboration with the Department of Radiology to assess patients' cerebral functional deficits and provide targeted neurological rehabilitation; and aims to better help patients recover neurological function and improve their quality of life.

At present, the department has 25 clinical physicians, including 2 chief physicians, 7 associate chief physicians, and 13 attending physicians; 90% have master's degrees or higher. It has an independent neurology emergency service, with an average of 300 outpatient and emergency visits per day, 86 beds (including 3 NICU intensive care beds), and 3,000 discharged patients annually.

The Neurology Electrophysiology Room has 1 associate chief physician and 3 technicians. It provides electrophysiological examinations including electroencephalography, electromyography, brain evoked potentials, Doppler ultrasonography, and microemboli detection.

Neurology Research Achievements

Since its establishment, the Department of Neurology has continuously conducted research on the efficacy and mechanisms of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in treating nervous system diseases, achieving notable results. It has led numerous projects, including projects under the National 11th Five-Year Plan Science and Technology Support Program; projects of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; 7 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects; the Shanghai Natural Science Foundation; Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology medical guidance science and technology projects; the Shanghai Talent Development Fund; major traditional Chinese medicine research projects of the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau; projects of the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau; the Shanghai “Preventive Treatment of Disease” preventive healthcare service system development project; the Shanghai Three-Year Action Plan for Further Accelerating the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine; university-level projects of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and hospital-level projects of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Hundreds of papers have been published in various SCI-indexed and core journals in China and abroad.

Distinctive Features of the Department of Neurology

After nearly 40 years of development, the Department of Neurology is now presented with an opportunity for rapid advancement. Its overall development plan is to make the integrated treatment of nervous system diseases with traditional Chinese and Western medicine one of the key directions of disciplinary development, striving to provide higher-level medical services.

In the future, under a unified disciplinary framework, the Department of Neurology will further develop subspecialties in cerebrovascular diseases, degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, inflammatory demyelinating diseases, peripheral neuropathies, cognitive dysfunction, and sleep disorders. It will further inherit and innovate in medical care, education, and research, continuously improving and enhancing its capabilities. Under the leadership of the hospital and through the unremitting efforts of all department staff, the department will be developed into an internationally first-class neurology department specializing in integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, with distinctive characteristics.