Basic introduction

The Biliary Surgery Department & Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Disease Research Laboratory of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, was founded in 1980, which currently has developed into an institution with high level of academic influence in China. The Department is characterized of the diagnosis, treatment and minimally invasive procedures of difficult and complicated hepatobiliary-pancreatic diseases. Currently, there are 12 professors, 2 doctoral mentors, 8 master tutors, 1 academic leader appointed by Sichuan Provincial Personnel Department and 2 academic leaders appointed by Sichuan Provincial Health DepartmentCommission in the department.  Most of them have the experience of studying or practicing at famous universities or medical institutions in USA or Japan. In addition, there is a professional nursing team of 33 medical staff, including 1 deputy chief nurse, 4 nurses in charge, 25 senior nurses, and 2 junior nurses.

Advanced medical technologies

1) The Department follows the mission and concept of "valuing medical care quality, focusing on demands of the patient and continuously promoting disciplinary development". The Department is the first reporter of the biliary ascariasis disease in the world, also the formulator of the criteria of severity rating and treatment of severe suppurative cholangitis in China. The DepartmentWe firstly proved that the bile sand will enter the blood stream with severe cholangitis. We areIt is the first institution to establish an animal models of suppurative cholangitis and intrahepatic biliary tract stones, and have a very deep research on the pathogenesis of gallstones even to the gene level. We haveIt has carried out the most systematic, extensive and deep research on related fields across the country and even in Asia. Such research has provided a solid theoretical foundation for treating biliary tract diseases clinically. All of these efforts and achievements are widely accepted by domestic and international society , and have been adopted in several textbooks of surgery.

2) In recent years, the Department has treated lots of cases with difficult and complicated hepatobiliary-pancreatic diseases, and performed numerous complicated surgeries and minimal invasive surgeries, some of which are first cases at home and abroad. The Department is the first institution to propose and implement the concept of enlarged radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and has completed the first case of radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma after five biliary tract surgeries and the secondary laparoscopic radical resection of gallbladder cancer. The Department has also performed the first case of Da Vinci robot-assisted radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma with pancreatic head resection in China. 

3) A number of management protocols in diagnosing and treating biliary tract tumors has been formulated and implemented in order to meet the international standard of management for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The Department performed the first case of single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic medial lobe resection of liver in the hospital, also the first one to perform procedures for hepatic hemangioma, gallbladder cancer, biliary tract cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic tumor and biliary tract stones with the help of Da Vinci robot. 

4) As one of the leading centers for treating difficult and complicated cases of obstructive jaundice in Southwest southwestern China, the Department has extremely rich experience in the management of obstructive jaundice caused by biliary tract tumors, liver tumors, biliary tract stones, biliary tract stenosis and biliary tract compression by pancreatic tumors. The medical staff of the Department has performed thousands of cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic choledocholithotomy with no complications, and is the first institution in Sichuan province Province to perform over 5,000 cases of day surgeries on laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 

5) The Department applies the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) concept in perioperative management, including standardized painless care, mental health care, VTE prevention, nutrition management, wound management, drainage management, follow-up management and complications control. With the application of these solutions, post-operation recovery quality and recovery time have been improved, which then significantly shorten the post-operation hospital stay, reduce medical expenses and improve patients' overall satisfaction. 

Scientific research, academic participation and education

Some of medical staff of the Department are currently serving as the chairmen, standing members, deputy group leaders and general members at the following top associations both at home and abroad including: CMA Surgery Society, CMA Biliary Tract Surgery Group, Oncology Society Pancreatic Cancer Group, Surgical Nutrition Support Group, CMDA Biliary Tract Surgery Group, Laparoscopic Surgery Group, the Expert Committee on Enhanced Recovery Surgery, the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA). Some staff also act as reviewers and editorial board members for several internationally well-known journals in USA, Australia, South Korea, UK and Canada. In addition, the Department is undertaking dozens of research projects under the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the 973 Sub-project and Science & Technology Department of Sichuan Province and have published more than 100 SCI papers, and some surgical works have been listed in the "100 Hundred Surgical Works from 100 Operators" during the Event of China Surgery Week. The Department has held many academic surgical conferences at domestic, and many staff have made specific-topic speeches on different occasions including domestic and international conferences. The Department has also nurtured trained more than 100 domestic Chinese and foreign doctors, masters, postgraduates and international students.