Introduction

The Hip Surgery Department at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital is the first orthopedic subspecialty in China dedicated to the management of complex hip disorders. Under the leadership of Professor Zhang Changqing, the team has spent more than three decades exploring innovative approaches and has achieved numerous landmark accomplishments in hip reconstruction. Currently, the department is overseen by Professor Huang Yigang (Deputy Director in charge) and comprises 18 hip surgeons—17 of whom hold doctoral degrees and 10 hold senior professional titles. The department has over 50 beds and performs more than 3,000 surgical procedures annually, placing it at the forefront nationwide regarding overall capabilities. The department’s clinical focus encompasses the following areas: 1) Hip preserving treatment of femoral head necrosis: Employing free vascularized fibula grafting to treat avascular necrosis of the femoral head and nonunion of femoral neck fractures, achieving a globally leading joint-preservation success rate; 2) Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) for total hip arthroplasty: Pioneered in China and promoted as a minimally invasive anterior approach for total hip replacement; 3) Diagnosis and treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) & hip arthroscopy: Annual volume of FAI cases ranks highest in China; 4) Periacetabular Osteotomy: Focused on hip preserving sugery of hip dysplasia; 5) Autologous costal cartilage transplantation: A groundbreaking hip-preserving procedure for selected end-stage hip diseases; 6) Establishing a fast-track treatment pathway for geriatric hip fractures, significantly reducing mortality rates in this patient population.

The department conducts comprehensive basic and clinical research on hip-related diseases, having published hundreds of articles in leading international peer-reviewed journals, including BMJ, Nature Reviews Disease Primers, Science Advances, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, and The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. It has undertaken over 30 research projects—including National Key R&D Programs—and received 12 provincial and ministerial-level awards (such as the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award First Prize, the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award First Prize, and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology Award First Prize). Additionally, the team has led the development of four clinical guidelines on osteoarticular diseases, substantially advancing standardized diagnosis and treatment for hip disorders in China.

Centering on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) technology, the department has developed a series of innovative products, obtaining authorization and/or applications for 21 invention patents, of which four have been successfully commercialized. The department also secured Class III and Class II medical device registration certificates. These technologies are now deployed at 1,165 hospitals nationwide, benefitting hundreds of thousands of patients and generating an annual output value exceeding 100 million RMB.

With two doctoral supervisors and five master’s supervisors, the department has trained hundreds of graduate students. It has also hosted multiple academic conferences on femoral head necrosis and hip reconstruction, extending its influence to various provinces across China and several countries worldwide, and training thousands of participants. This makes a vital contribution to enhancing hip disease diagnosis and treatment both domestically and internationally.

As a key subspecialty under the National Orthopedic Center at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, the Hip Surgery Department remains dedicated to advancing the clinical management and research of hip disorders, continually improving patient care, and delivering high-quality, professional medical services to every patient.