Department of Ultrasound
Department Awards and Recognitions
The Department of Ultrasound at The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University is a leading center for Medical Ultrasonics diagnosis and treatment, integrating clinical treatment, education, and research at both provincial and municipal levels.
In 2023, it was designated as one of the first batch of "Gastrointestinal Ultrasound Training Bases" under the Chinese Medical Ultrasonics Training Project.
In 2022, it was awarded as a " Member Unit of the National Committee Member of the Ultrasound Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and the Deputy Chair Unit of the Interventional Committee".
In 2021, it was certified as the "Basic Training Base for Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Guangdong Province".
In 2020, it was approved as the "Key Discipline of The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University".
In 2020, it was designated as the "Deputy Chair Unit of the Youth Committee for Ultrasound Intervention Youth Committee under the Chinese Medical Doctor Association Interventional Physicians Association and the Deputy Chair Unit of the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Intervention Group".
In 2013, it was designated as the "Director Unit of the Ultrasound Quality Control Center in Futian District".
Basic Information of the Department
The Department of Medical Ultrasonics at The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University is a comprehensive center integrating clinical services, education, scientific research, and health care. It is one of the first ten hospital-level key disciplines at The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. It is also a designated doctoral and master's degree training program in Imaging Medicine and Nuclear Medicine (including academic and professional degree). There are currently more than 60 medical staff members in the department, including 52 doctors. Among them, those with a master's degree or higher account for 73%, and 13 medical staff members hold senior professional titles. The department handles approximately 520,000 patient visits annually. The department offers a comprehensive range of subspecialties, including abdominal and superficial ultrasound, obstetrics and gynecologic ultrasound, ultrasonic cardiogram, musculoskeletal ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, interventional ultrasound, and ultrasound services for health check-ups and preventive care, achieving full coverage of ultrasound diagnosis and treatment. Many of the department's technologies are at the forefront nationally and lead the field within the province. The department is equipped more than 40 ultrasound examination rooms, most of which house state-of-the-art ultrasound diagnostic equipment.
Medical, Education, and Research Levels
1、Special Diagnostic Techniques
Interventional Ultrasound: The department routinely conducts ablation of solid tumors throughout the body, ablation of vascular lesions, lesion biopsies via puncture, catheter drainage of effusions, sclerotherapy of cysts, local drug injection, etc. Its expertise in interventional ultrasound ranks among the top in the province and has won awards in the national interventional ultrasound procedure competitions for many times.
Ultrasound Fusion Imaging: This technique registers and fuses ultrasound images with enhanced CT/MRI/PET-CT, allowing real-time display. When combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound, it significantly enhances the detection and evaluation of tumors in the liver, kidneys, lungs, prostate, etc. The technical level is at the forefront in China.
Whole-body Organ Acoustic Contrast (Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound): This method provides accurate diseases diagnosis comparable to enhanced CT or MRI. The volume of procedures ranks among the top eight in the province and has been rated as a provincial training base.
Painless Hysterosalpingo-Contrast Sonography: The department was the first in Shenzhen to introduce this technique in Guangdong province , which provides a comfortable and pain-free examination experience for women of childbearing age. The examination volume remains the highest in the province.
Oral Contrast-Enhanced Gastric Ultrasonography: This technique serves as an alternative to gastroscopy, with an annual examination volume of nearly 10,000 cases, leading in the province. It has been rated as the first batch of training bases nationwide.
2、Education
The Department of Ultrasound undertakes the undergraduate teaching of "Medical Imaging" course at the Sun Yat-sen University School of Medicine; directly supervises more than 20 doctoral and master's degree students; conducts standardized training programs for ultrasound doctors across the Futian District; receives doctors for further study from all over the country, with the number of trainees ranking first in the hospital; undertakes more than 10 national, provincial, and municipal continuing education projects, providing on-site training for hundreds of doctors annually.
3、Scientific Research Work
The department has undertaken nearly 20 scientific research projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation; has published more than 20 academic papers in total, and has contributed to the drafting of three national guidelines and expert consensus documents.
4、Social Impact
(1) Personal Awards in the Past Three Years
Professor Erjiao Xu won the honorary title of "CCI 2023 Chinese Interventional Prominent Newcomer", the first time this award was won in Shenzhen, making him the third expert in the field of ultrasound intervention in China to receive this honor.
Doctor Huahui Liu won the third place in the national finals of the "2024 Art on the Needle Tip" Ablation Procedure Competition:;
Doctor Sainan Guan is the champion in the South China region of the "2024 Sound Never Stops" Catheter Drainage Competition:;
Doctor Huahui Liu is the champion in the South China region and the third place in the national finals of the 2023 "Ablation Compass" Ablation Procedure Competition;
Doctor Shuang Liang won the national third prize/second prize of the 2022&2023"Art on the Needle Tip" Ablation Procedure Competition ;
Doctor Huahui Liu is awarded as the "2023 Top Ten CEUS Papers" at the Youth Forum of the Chinese Society of Ultrasound in Medicine;
Doctor Shuang Liang won the national third prize of the 2023 "Needle Finals" Interventional Procedure Competition;
Doctor Wanling Huang won the second place in the Case Competition of the Interventional Group of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association in 2022;
Xiaomin Chen won the national first prize of the "e-post Case Competition" of the Shanghai Medical Doctor Association in 2022;
Doctor Sainan Guan and Shanshan Wu won the first prize & second prize of the Case Competition of the Shenzhen Ultrasonic Engineering Society in 2022.
(2) Conferences Hosted by the Department
The Department of Ultrasound hosted the first national "Special Training Project for Minimally Invasive Tumor Ablation - Uterine Ablation Technology Training Program”, sponsored by the Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center of the National Health Commission. In addition, it hosted national continuing education projects such as "Minimally Invasive Ablation Treatment of Multi-organ Tumors", as well as provincial and municipal-level training courses covering topics like the latest advances in CEUS and interventional ultrasound, the clinical application and development in gynecological diseases, gastrointestinal CEUS, and precise perioperative nursing management for minimally invasive intervention. These programs trained thousands of healthcare professionals, showcasing the department’s strong expertise and influence in tumor ablation and CEUS diagnosis across China.
Department of Interventional Ultrasound (Subspecialty)
Introduction to the Subspecialty
The Department of Interventional Ultrasound was established on September 9, 2021, as the first fully independently managed interventional ultrasound ward in Shenzhen, with an approved capacity of 12 beds. Its scale ranks first in Shenzhen and second in the Guangdong Province (second only to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University). Since its establishment, the department has conducted over 4,000 CEUS cases annually, ranking among the top eight in Guangdong Province. The annual number of interventional ultrasound procedures has been more than 7,000.The annual number of ablation procedures has been about 500 cases. The department's diagnosis and treatment capabilities, as well as its service volume in interventional ultrasound rank among the top in Guangdong Province. It has reached the nationally advanced level in the ablation of liver tumors, uterine fibroids or adenomyosis, and thyroid benign and malignant nodules.
1、 Routine Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment Projects
The Department of Ultrasound department has achieved comprehensive coverage of interventional diagnosis and treatment. In addition to carrying out various routine interventional diagnosis and treatment projects such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound, puncture biopsy, catheter drainage, cyst sclerotherapy, aspiration and drug injection, it also conducts comprehensive ablation treatment for various solid tumors of any organs, including solid tumors in the liver, thyroid, uterus, lower extremity varicose veins, parathyroid, breast, and kidneys. At the same time, expert and renowned doctor outpatient clinics for minimally invasive treatment of ultrasound tumors are opened to provide consultation, diagnosis and treatment services for patients.
(1) Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound：It includes qualitative diagnosis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for tumors throughout the body such as the liver, thyroid, breast, and uterus, 4D salpingography of the fallopian tube, uterine cavity, and pelvic cavity, contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the lumen of the drainage tube throughout the body, oral gastric cavity contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and vascular contrast-enhanced ultrasound.
(2) Puncture Biopsy：Pathological diagnosis is performed through puncture biopsy of tissues and tumors such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, thyroid, breast, prostate, muscles, and bones.
(3) Catheter Drainage：Puncture and catheter drainage and fistula formation for organs such as the thorax, abdomen, gallbladder, bile duct, pericardium, renal pelvis, bladder, and abscess cavities in all parts of the body.
(4) Aspiration and Drug Injection：Puncture aspiration or drug injection for the thorax, abdomen, joint cavity, amniotic fluid cavity, cysts throughout the body, portal vein, peripheral blood vessels, drug injection into tumors, muscles, nerves (nerve block), etc.
(5) Cyst Sclerotherapy：Puncture and fluid aspiration and injection of sclerosant for cysts in the liver, kidneys, pancreas, ovaries, thyroid, breast, and other organs.
(6) Intraoperative Ultrasound: Intraoperative positioning and guidance for procedures in hepatobiliary and pancreatic procedure, urology, cardiothoracic procedure, obstetrics and gynecology, etc.
2、Ablation Procedure
Ultrasound-guided ablation treatment and comprehensive treatment for multi-organ lesions: Microwave ablation treatment and comprehensive treatment for liver tumors, kidney tumors, adrenal nodules, thyroid nodules, parathyroid nodules, breast nodules, uterine fibroids (adenomyosis), lymph nodes, and abdominal lesions are characteristic treatment techniques.
(1) Liver Tumor Ablation
Professor Erjiao Xu, the chief and discipline leader of the department, is an expert who has been engaged in liver tumor ablation earlier in China. He studied under Professor Xiaoyan Xie and Professor Rongqin Zheng, famous domestic experts in ultrasound intervention. He has been engaged in the field of tumor intervention for a long time and is excel in minimally invasive ablation procedure for systemic tumors. He has accumulated rich experience especially in the field of complex liver tumor ablation, put forward several new ablation strategies for liver cancer in difficult positions and published them in international journals. The efficacy of early-stage liver cancer ablation has reached the advanced level in China (with a one-time complete ablation rate of 99.4%, a five-year local tumor progression of 7.2%, and a five-year cumulative overall survival rate of 81.7%). At the same time, he is also proficient in the ablation of benign and malignant liver tumors, including hepatic hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), and hepatic adenoma.
(2) Uterine Fibroids/Uterine Adenomyosis Ablation
Under the leadership of Professor Erjiao Xu, the Department of Medical Ultrasonics of The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University was an early adopter of minimally invasive uterine ablation treatment. It put forward the "Three Catheters and Two CEUS" ablation assistance strategy. So far, hundreds of cases of ablation procedures have been completed, allowing many females with dysmenorrhea, anemia, abnormal menstrual cycles, and lower abdominal pain and discomfort to preserve their uteri while relieving their pain. The first national uterine ablation training course was held in The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, fully demonstrating the department’s strong diagnostic and therapeutic expertise as well as disciplinary influence in the field of uterine ablation in China.
(3) Thyroid Benign and Malignant Tumor Ablation
The thermal ablation treatment of thyroid benign and malignant tumors has the advantages of being minimally invasive, preserving cosmetic appearance, high safety, high efficacy, preserving thyroid function, being repeatable, having few complications, with broad clinical indications, and simple postoperative management. Especially its safety and efficacy for benign tumors are widely recognized. It is also applicable to some thyroid carcinoma , particularly for patients with contraindications to surgery or those who refuse traditional surgery. The department performs one of the highest volumes of ablation procedures for papillary thyroid carcinoma in Guangdong province.
(4) Lower Extremity Varicose Vein Ablation Treatment
The thermal ablation treatment of lower extremity varicose veins has the advantages of being minimally invasive, quick recovery, straightforward procedure, high effect, broad applicability , excellent safety, minimal pain, and no need for general anesthesia. At present, it has gradually become the first-line treatment plan for varicose veins.
(5) Breast Benign Nodules Ablation Treatment
The ablation of breast benign nodules has the advantages of being minimally invasive, fast recovery, almost no scar, precise positioning, high safety, good curative effect, repeatability, local anesthesia, and protecting the function of lactiferous ducts. It is suitable for patients prone to scarring, those seeking cosmetic results, or those who cannot undergo surgery.
(6) Kidney Benign and Malignant Tumor Ablation Treatment
It is applicable to benign kidney tumors such as renal angiomyolipoma (renal hamartoma) and malignant kidney tumors. Previous studies have shown that the thermal ablation of stage T1a kidney tumors (≤ 4 cm in diameter) is as effective as surgical resection. It is suitable for patients who cannot undergo surgery, have high surgical risks(e.g., elderly patients or those who with serious comorbidities), or wish to preserve kidney function. In addition, for tumors located in surgically challenging positions , ablation treatment is also a feasible option.
(7) Adrenal Benign and Malignant Tumor Ablation Treatment
It is applicable to primary non-functional adrenal benign tumors, primary functional adrenal tumors, such as aldosteronoma, cortisol-secreting adenomas, or pheochromocytomas, primary malignant adrenal tumors, adrenal metastases, and palliative ablation. The purpose of treatment is to eliminate the symptoms caused by tumors and improve the life quality of patients. For those who have surgical indications but cannot tolerate or refuse surgery ; those who are not suitable for surgical resection, have recurrence after surgery, or refuse surgery, ablation treatment can be carried out with endocrinologist guidance and anesthesiologists monitoring.
Ward Address: Department of Interventional Ultrasound, 15th floor, Building
