Neurosurgery
Overview
The Department of Neurosurgery, founded in 1976, is a key medical discipline in Jiangsu Province and a clinically prioritized specialty. It is affiliated with the Beijing Wang Zhongcheng Brain Center and hosts an Academician Workstation, a National Postdoctoral Research Station, and is recognized as a provincial-level key discipline. It is part of the Taibo Talent Plan’s top-tier medical expert team. The department operates across the South and North campuses, with a total of 86 beds and an independent NSICU. Annual outpatient visits exceed 10,600, inpatient admissions exceed 2,300, and annual surgical cases exceed 1,300, with a minimally invasive surgery rate above 60%. The department is equipped with advanced facilities including neurosurgical endoscopy, neuronavigation, microscopes, and the “Fei Long” integrated operation suite. It comprises seven sub-specialties: Neuroendoscopy and Pituitary Microsurgery Center, Cerebrovascular Disease and Interventional Treatment Center, Skull Base Center, Glioma Center, Neurotrauma and Critical Care Center, Functional Neurosurgery Center, and Spine and Spinal Cord Center. The department is also a leading neurosurgical research institute in Wuxi, a first-batch Chinese Neuroendoscopy Training Base, a National Advanced Stroke Center, and the city’s Neurosurgical Diagnosis and Treatment Center. Domestic and provincial leadership in neurosurgical endoscopic minimally invasive procedures, cerebrovascular interventions, and neuronavigation-guided minimally invasive surgeries underpins high rates of tumor gross total resection and favorable outcomes. The department presently comprises 30 specialists, including 13 with senior titles; 3 doctoral supervisors and 4 master supervisors; 3 professors, 5 associate professors, and 13 doctors, 4 master’s mentors. There are 11 doctoral supervisors and 7 master’s supervisors among faculty.
Treatment Scope
Neurological and spinal tumors: intracranial tumors (gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary tumors, craniopharyngiomas, vestibular schwannomas, etc.), spinal tumors (neurilemmomas, meningiomas, intradural tumors) and metastases.
Cerebrovascular diseases: intracerebral hemorrhage (hypertensive bleeds, aneurysm rupture), ischemic stroke (large-vessel occlusion requiring thrombectomy or bypass), cerebrovascular malformations (AVMs, moyamoya disease), intracranial aneurysms (embolization or clipping).
Traumatic conditions: traumatic brain injury, skull fractures, subdural/epidural hematomas, contusions; spinal injuries and related complications (e.g., post-traumatic hydrocephalus).
Functional neurosurgery: epilepsy (resection of epileptogenic focus or neurostimulation), movement disorders (deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease), cranial nerve pain (trigeminal neuralgia, Meige syndrome with microvascular decompression), etc.
Spine and spinal cord diseases: cervical/lumbar disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis, spinal tumors, syringomyelia, craniovertebral junction abnormalities ( Chiari malformation ), syringomyelia with tethered cord.
Congenital and acquired deformities: hydrocephalus (ventriculoperitoneal shunt or endoscopic third ventriculostomy), myelomeningocele, arachnoid cysts.
Technical Advantages
The department was among the earliest in the country and the province to develop endoscopic minimally invasive surgery for intracranial tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, functional disorders, spinal cord diseases, and traumatic brain injuries, with leading techniques in endoscopic transnasal pituitary and sellar region surgeries.
Pioneered endoscope-assisted microscopic and full-endoscopic microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm, including comprehensive treatment options for elderly patients unable to tolerate conventional surgery.
Routine intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring for functional procedures.
Nationally pioneering in minimal-access cerebrovascular treatment and microsurgical approaches; capable of handling intracranial aneurysms, AVMs, dural arteriovenous fistulas, and traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulas via interventional and microsurgical methods.
In acute ischemic stroke, early adoption of intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, and stenting techniques; designated as a National Advanced Stroke Center.
Multimodal imaging, MDT (multidisciplinary team) management, neuronavigation-assisted surgery, and dual-optical techniques (fluorescence imaging with microscope and endoscope) significantly enhance tumor resection rates and preservation of neurological function.
Notable proficiency in minimally invasive microsurgical discectomy and canal decompression, anterior Miniaturized Microsurgical Approaches for cervical spondylopathy, and mini-open approaches for intradural tumors; outcomes are among the province’s leading standards.
Research achievements
Since 2018, the department has received the Jiangsu Province Science and Technology Award for Major Innovation in Endoscopic Microsurgery and its Applications (First Prize).
Holds seven national invention patents and eight Jiangsu Province medical innovations awards.
Leads seven National Natural Science Foundation projects and six provincial research programs, with more than ten municipal projects.
Publishes over 15 SCI-level or equivalent Chinese papers annually; extensive contributions to high-impact journals.
Recognitions include: one recipient of the State Council Special Allowance, one Jiangsu Province Model Worker, three recipients of the Jiangsu Province “333” Talent Project, and four “Double Hundred” talents in Wuxi.