Introduction

The Department of Spine Surgery at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital National Orthopedic Medical Center currently has 7 chief physicians, 4 associate chief physicians, 5 attending physicians, and 4 resident physicians. The department has 61 designated beds, with more than 80 beds in active use, performing nearly 6,000 surgeries annually. The clinical services cover almost all spine-related conditions, including upper cervical spine diseases, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar spinal stenosis, spinal trauma, scoliosis, spine infections, and spinal tumors. The department's surgeries include core procedures with a level-4 surgery rate exceeding 98%, and minimally invasive surgery rate at 40%, placing it among the top in the country for annual spine surgeries.

In terms of clinical techniques, the department has developed specialties in spine and spinal cord injury treatment, as well as minimally invasive spine surgery. The treatment of spine and spinal cord injuries is particularly influential both in Shanghai and nationwide, handling thousands of cases annually, including various types of spinal cord injuries, cervical fractures, thoracolumbar fractures, and elderly osteoporosis-related vertebral compression fractures. The department has a complete system and strong multidisciplinary team for treating complex spinal injuries. For minimally invasive spine surgery, the department ranks first in the city, utilizing techniques such as transforaminal endoscopy, single and double portal endoscopic-assisted techniques (UBE/AUSS), large-channel techniques, endoscopic fusion, and robotic navigation.

Academically, the department conducts a series of clinical and basic research on spinal cord injuries and repair. It leads more than ten national and provincial-level projects, including the National Key R&D Program. The department has published over 50 academic papers, with more than 40 in SCI-indexed journals, and has contributed to 6 books, 2 expert consensus/guidelines, 3 invention patents, and 2 industry standards for 3D printing.

In medical education, the department has 1 doctoral advisor and 5 master's advisors, having trained nearly 30 doctoral and master's students. As a base for standardized residency training and orthopedic specialist training in Shanghai, the department receives continuing medical education trainees, residents, and interns throughout the year. It has also independently started recruiting spine surgery specialists, gradually expanding its influence nationwide.

The Department of Spine Surgery at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital will continue to focus on the collaborative development of clinical technology and scientific research, aiming to become a top-tier spine surgery diagnostic and treatment center both nationally and internationally.