Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

It is a National Key Clinical Specialty, a Key Discipline of the Ministry of Education, and a High-Level Key Discipline of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Base for Shanghai-Style Gu's Surgery; the leading unit of Shanghai's Key Research Center for Sinus and Jug Diseases and Shanghai's Clinical Quality Control Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Anorectal Diseases; a postdoctoral research station for Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery; the affiliated unit of the Anorectal Diseases Professional Committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies; and a National Famous and Experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine Experts' Inheritance Studio. It undertakes National Science and Technology Support Program projects, National Natural Science Foundation projects, and is a national-level platform for the translational research of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in complex sinus/anal fistulas. Based on the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery (established in 2002), it has a Colorectal Disease Research Laboratory and a Level III Laboratory of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, forming a four-in-one development model of "Clinical Center - Key Discipline - Research Institute - Famous TCM Doctor Studio". It has presided over more than 30 provincial and ministerial-level projects, including the National "863" and "973" Programs, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National Science and Technology Support Program. It has won 27 provincial, ministerial, and municipal awards, published 274 papers in core journals and SCI journals, developed one new clinical drug, and holds 28 national patents (including one international invention patent).

1. Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance

The department originated from the Gu Family Surgery of Shanghai-style Traditional Chinese Medicine (a national intangible cultural heritage with a history of over 160 years). In the 1960s, Professor Lu Jingen established an independent proctology department, and its academic lineage has been passed down for over 160 years, earning it a place on the national intangible cultural heritage list. Inheriting the core ideas of Gu Family Surgery—"treating external symptoms by addressing internal causes, emphasizing both elimination and tonification, preserving anal sphincter function, and integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine"—the department insists on combining innovative external treatments of traditional Chinese medicine with modern minimally invasive proctology techniques. It focuses on complex anal fistulas, severe perianal infections, and pelvic floor dysfunction, constructing an integrated diagnosis and treatment system encompassing internal treatment, external treatment, surgery, and rehabilitation. The core spirit is condensed into "the best inheritance is innovation"—based on Lu Jingen's "tunnel-type suture technique" and Cao Yongqing's innovative "catheter placement therapy", Wang Chen's team organically integrates the traditional "medicated thread, negative pressure, and cotton padding" techniques with modern minimally invasive techniques such as anoscope and laser, forming a unique "Gu's Surgical Characteristic Traditional Chinese Medicine External Treatment Comprehensive Therapy Minimally Invasive Treatment System for Complex Anal Fistulas".

1. Core Business Operation Efficiency

The hospital has three wards with 90 beds across its two campuses; a team of 25 doctors, including 17 with senior professional titles, 3 doctoral supervisors, and 10 master's supervisors; it sees over 70,000 outpatients annually and performs over 5,000 surgeries annually, with a high proportion of complex anal fistula surgeries. It receives referrals from across the country for recurrent anal fistulas, Crohn's disease anal fistulas, and necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum; it has established a sinus fistula disease research laboratory and a pelvic floor function assessment center; it spearheaded the development of the "Clinical Practice Guidelines for Anal Fistula Suture Therapy" and the first "Technical Operation Specifications for Video-Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment" in China; its original suture therapy is a nationally promoted technology and has been adopted by over 180 medical institutions both domestically and internationally.

1. Discipline Positioning and National/Global Benchmarking

It is a National Key Clinical Specialty, a National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine High-Level Key Discipline of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a National Advantage Specialty of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its TCM proctology field is among the best in the country, ranking first nationwide in academic influence in TCM proctology according to the Ailibi Specialty Assessment. As the leading unit of the Shanghai Municipal TCM Proctology Quality Control Center, it has spearheaded the formulation of five industry guidelines, consensus, and standards. Benchmarking against St. Mark's Hospital in the UK and the Cleveland Clinic in the US, its techniques, including the Gu's suture therapy, padding compression external treatment, TCM-Western medicine staged treatment of necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum, and video-assisted minimally invasive anal fistula techniques, have reached international advanced levels. Differentiated Advantages: One of the few centers globally with a complete integrated TCM and Western medicine treatment chain for complex anal fistulas (including Crohn's fistula), severe perianal infections, pelvic floor defecation disorders, pilonidal sinuses, and rectovaginal fistulas; distinct from general proctology departments, its core advantage lies in treating recurrent high-level complex anal fistulas and severe perianal necrotizing fasciitis while preserving the anus.