Otolaryngology

The Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was established in the early period of the hospital’s founding. After more than 90 years of unremitting effort, it has developed into a comprehensive department integrating medical care, teaching, and research, with three professional forces—traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It has both a strong tradition of traditional Chinese medicine and the capability to perform various modern specialized medical technologies. In 1997, the department became a key discipline supported by Zhejiang Province’s institutions of higher education, Category B. In 1998, it was approved as a site authorized to confer master’s degrees in traditional Chinese medicine otorhinolaryngology. In 2011, it was included among the designated units for the development of key clinical specialties in traditional Chinese medicine under the 12th Five-Year Plan of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 2016, it was approved as a cultivation institution for cochlear implantation in Zhejiang Province. In 2022, it was granted authorization as a doctoral degree-conferring site. It is also the otorhinolaryngology training site of the Zhejiang Province standardized training base for traditional Chinese medicine.

Technical Advantages

The department gives equal emphasis to traditional Chinese and Western medicine, advances both medical and surgical treatment, adopts a subspecialty development model, and operates corresponding specialized outpatient clinics, thereby forming relatively mature specialized diagnosis and treatment teams. In otology: our department was among the earliest units in Zhejiang Province to perform artificial ear implantation surgery. It operates specialized outpatient clinics for tinnitus, hearing loss, and vertigo, as well as a specialized outpatient clinic for otitis media. Traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic and treatment techniques include five-tone therapy, aromatherapy, and moxibustion along the meridians. Cochlear implant surgery, endoscopic artificial stapes surgery, and middle- and inner-ear surgery combining otoendoscopy with microscopy are routinely performed. In rhinology: a specialized outpatient clinic for allergic rhinitis is available. Traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic and treatment techniques include acupuncture of the sphenopalatine ganglion and endoscopic nasal concha incision treatment. Surgeries performed include FESS, highly selective posterior nasal neurectomy, and transnasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. In laryngology: a specialized outpatient clinic for pediatric snoring disorders is available. Traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic and treatment techniques include tonsil pecking treatment and cauterization. Procedures performed include laryngeal microsurgery, microsurgical laser surgery, surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer, and surgical treatment of snoring disorders.

Academic Status

Professor Tang Xuxia, the academic leader of the department, is a Standing Committee Member of the Otorhinolaryngology Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Chairperson of the Otorhinolaryngology Professional Committee of the Zhejiang Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, and Deputy Chairperson of the Otorhinolaryngology Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Association.

Research Achievements

Over the past five years, the department has undertaken nearly more than 20 research projects, including 1 project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It has published more than 20 SCI papers.