Past, Present and Future
Shanghai Huashan Institute of Neurological Surgery (SHIN)

Along with the roar of the first spring-thunder of the 21st century, the Shanghai Huashan Institute of Neurological Surgery (SHIN) was established. At this joyous moment, revisiting the last half century of history of Huashan Neurosurgery, we can witness the development of neurosurgery in China, from lacking to having, from the basic foundations to full-scale expansion.

Establishment and Early Development of Huashan Neurosurgery As with the founding of our republic nation, years of darkness were waiting for a ray of light. During that time, a renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Shi Yuquan, one of the pioneers of neurosurgery in China, successfully performed China's first intracranial tumor operation in 1950 under the guidance of Professor James K. Sheng, the President of Zhongshan Hospital and Director of Surgery. In the spring of 1953, the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital was formally established. At that time, it had only two doctors, Shi Yuquan and Zhu Zhenqin, and had only eight patient beds. During that period, Professor James K. Sheng (general surgery) and Professor Zhang Yuanchang (neurology) also played important roles in the founding of Department of Neurosurgery.

From 1953 to 1956, under the united efforts of Drs. Shi Yuquan, Jiang Dajie, Yang Detai and other senior neurosurgeons, the Huashan Neurosurgery underwent significant progress: 8 beds increased to 20, three doctors were added, and it started to train neurosurgical fellow doctors. After 1958, the Department of Neurosurgery initiated the program for neurosurgical postgraduate students, and expanded to forty beds. It also organized a variety of advanced neurosurgical workshops and seminars and published a series of neurosurgical textbooks and clinical manuals. In the same year, Dr. Zhu Zhenqin moved to Chongching City, and established the Department of Neurosurgery at Chongching Medical College. By the mid 60's, Prof. Shi Yuquan led an effective surgical team at Huashan Department of Neurosurgery, including Drs. Jiang Dajie, Yang Detai, Chen Gongbai, Yin Xiaodong, Zhang Renhe, Tan Zhensheng, Ji Zhixiong, Zhen Anqi, Tao Jiahua, Wang Zhenxiao, Shen Peijia and other doctors.

In the 50s, in cooperation with radiological professors Chen Youxian and Liu Dehua, the Huashan Neurosurgery started cerebral angiography and ventriculography. It also invented a great number of neurosurgical instruments and operation materials, such as the Starch sponge successfully manufactured in 1951, the later improved gelform sponge, and the first stereotactic frame ever to be successfully made in China; the institution completed many types of operations and research, many of which were the first ever to be performed in China, such as the operation for the treatment of cerebral paragonimiasis (1955), the direct operation for intracranial aneurysm(1956), epilepsy surgery, for instance, using hemispherectomy to treat infantile cerebral palsy (1959), and others. In 1965, Professor Zhang Renhe moved to Wulumuqi City and founded the Neurosurgical Department at Xingjiang Medical College.

Expansion and Development of Huashan Neurosurgery

In 1970, the Huashan Neurosurgery had 58 beds, more than 10 doctors, and performed 10 to 12 operations per week, which makes about 500 operations annually. After the "Culture Revolution" the neurosurgeons at Huashan hospital worked together to overcome the various problems created by the "revolution" period. A cooperative work with a factory produced China's first operation microscope and related microsurgical instruments, paving the way for future microsurgical experiments and clinical applications. In 1978, the first CT scan in China was launched by Huashan Hospital, made a mighty advance in neurosurgical diagnoses and treatments. Neurosurgical specialist Dr. Shi Yuquan became a full professor of neurosurgery, and was appointed as the Director of the Institute of Neurology at Shanghai Medical University, as well as the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery. From then on, the hospital installed MRI and DSA, thus promoting further progress in neurosurgery. In 1984, Professor Zhou Lianfu became the new chairman of Department of Neurosurgery. In 1989, Professor Shi Yuquan retired after an eminent career and was conferred as a life-long professor. Professor Jiang Dajei succeeded to be the director of Institute of Neurology. In 1989, along with the construction of the hospital's new building, its number of beds increased to 72, and there were 25 doctors working at Department of Neurosurgery. In 1995, the neurosurgical beds increased to 100 beds, including 24 beds in intensive care unit (ICU); the two daughter-hospitals, South Pudong Hospital and Gamma-Knife Hospital, had a total of about 100 beds, performed an average of more than 2500 operations per year. Now, SHIN have equipped with enough surgical instruments, including four operational microscopes, two Contact laser machines, one CUSA, high-speed surgical drills, a neuro-endoscope, a TCD, intracranial pressure monitors, a Gama-Knife, and many other clinical instruments. It also housed a number of laboratories, including the cerebral blood flow lab, the microsurgery lab, the molecular neurosurgery lab, the neuropathology lab and the neuro-electrophysical lab.

Huashan Neurosurgery Today

Right now, SHIN institute has been entitled as National Key Institution (1989), "211" Education Program Honor Institution (1996), National Health Excellent Institution£¨1991,1996£©Shanghai Neurosurgical Medical Center (2001). At present, we have 45 employees, including 12 professors, 5 of which are doctorate tutors, 14 associate professors, and 18 attending doctors. We also have attained significant achievements in the micro-neurosurgery, the cranial base surgery, the stereotactic surgery, the stereotactic radiosurgery, the molecular neurosurgery, and the neuro-eletrophysiology. In March 2000, supported by the Shanghai Municipal government and City Health Department, the Huashan Neurosurgical Hospital (Group) was established, incorporating the three daughter-hospitals Gama-knife Hospital, Punan Hospital, and Putuo Hospital, with their total number of about 200 beds, making the final number of beds 450. The Gama-knife Hospital has independent radio-neurosurgery and functional neurosurgery centers, possessing Gama-knife, PET, X-ray-knife and other technologically advanced machine and instruments. In SHIN there are also a number of laboratories, including a cranial base surgical lab, a cerebral blood flow lab, a microsurgical lab, a functional neurosurgical lab, a cell and molecular neurosurgical lab, a neuro-electrophysiological lab and own unique neuropathology department. It performs more than 4000 operations a year, of which 65% are brain tumors, 12.5% are craniocerebral trauma, 5% are cerebrovascular diseases, 5% are intravascular intervention treatments, 5% are V-P shunt operations, 2.5% are functional neurosurgery, and 5% are others. By the end of year 2000, we have treated close to 30,000 CNS brain tumors. The annual count of gamma-knife treatments amounted to 880, and the total number of gamma-knife cases exceed 7000. We offer five Doctor-degree postgraduate programs, 5 to 6 Master-degree programs, and about 40 neurosurgical fellows in our institute every year.

Educational and Academic Achievements

Ever since its founding, the education and research at Huashan Neurosurgery have always occupied the top ranks in China. From 1978 to present day, our department has received 7 national awards, 14 ministry awards, 29 local awards, and many other ones. We also have strong academic ties with foreign institutions. Every year, we send more than 10-novice doctors abroad, to study in the United States, UK, France, Germany, Japan and other countries. Huashan Neurosurgery has trained thousands of neurosurgeons for our country, many of whom have become leaders and pioneers of neurosurgery in their provinces.

Starting in 1998, Huashan Neurosurgery has given nine sessions of "Chinese Cranial Base Surgery Workshop" educating 400 fellows, and effectively promoting on the development of cranial base surgery in China. It has published about 50 papers every year. Since 1992 we have gotten 50 research project from the national and ministry and Shanghai City foundations. The total grant was about 7 million-Yuan. We published 9 neurosurgical professional books. It has organized numerous national and international professional conferences in Shanghai.

Admirable Virtues of Patient Service

With senior doctors like Shi Yuquan, Jiang Dajie, Yang Detai and others teaching from their experiences and gained wisdom, the neurosurgeons at Huashan hospital always view the patient service as the key point of their work, and put all their hearts and minds into caring for their patients, not minding personals gains, or long work-hours. Many among them have received recognition for their excellent work from national and city levels. The director of SHIN professor Zhou Liangfu is a famous neurosurgical specialist, a member of national committee of Chinese Political Assembly, and with his excellent surgical skills and admirable virtues, he has won wide-spread acclaim from patients, and won the "National May First-Day Award" in 1996; the vice-director Professor Xu Qiwu has equally noteworthy received "Shanghai City Top Ten Middle-Young Age Medical Doctors Award" and "Shanghai City Labor Award". Professor Pan Li and Associated Professor Huang Fengping also awarded as ""Shanghai City Medical Prize". Associated Professor Mao Ying was received "Medical Young Stars Award".

The Future of SHIN

The Professors at SHIN, Zhou Liangfu, Jiang Chenchuan, Xu Qiwu, Chen Xiancheng, Zhou Fanming, Zhu Jianhong, Li Shiqi, Bao Weiming, Pan Li, Guo Huanhuan, Wang Bingjiang, Ji Yaodong each have their own professional specialty¡£ They contribute to the advances in all the front-line fields of clinical and laboratory research. Moreover, a new young neurosurgical team has already been trained as its representatives with Drs. Mao Renlin, Huang Fenping, Zhong Ping, Mao Ying, Song Donglei, She Xiaoming, Zhang Yi, Shun An, Yu Jie, and others. SHIN demonstrate uniqueness in its treatments of brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, intracerebral vascular disease, CNS congenital disease and craniocerebral trauma, and has initiated new technological research and clinical applications in minimally invasive neurosurgery which including neuronavigation, endoscopical neurosurgery, interventional neurosurgery, radioneurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, cell and molecular neurosurgery and cranial base surgery. SHIN staff pride themselves for their devoted loyalty to the career of neurosurgery, their selfless strive in their work, and for providing the patients with outstanding and first-class service.

In the new century, along with the founding of the Shanghai Huashan Institute of Neurological Surgery, Huashan neurosurgery will doubtlessly continue to rise as an eminent and powerful voice in the field of neurosurgery and make even greater contributions to the development of neurosurgery in China and Asia.