Department of Ultrasound Medicine

The Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital was established in 1972 as a diagnostic ultrasound group and officially became a department in 1986, making it one of the earliest ultrasound medicine departments in China. Professor Zhang Jinxie served as the first department head, followed by Professors Cheng Yufang, Jiang Yuxin, Dai Qing, and currently Li Jianchu. Professor Jiang Yuxin has served as the head of the ultrasound department for 15 years, making outstanding contributions to the department. Among the five chairpersons of the Ultrasound Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, two are from this department: Professors Zhang Jinxie and Jiang Yuxin, with the latter having served as chair for the fifth, sixth, and currently the ninth terms. Professor Jiang Yuxin is currently the academic leader of the department, secretary of the Party Committee of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and holds several key positions including chair of the Ultrasound Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, chair of the Ultrasound Residency Training Committee of the Chinese Physician Association, and chair of the Ultrasound Medicine Committee of the Beijing Medical Association.

The Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital is a national key discipline, a training base for doctoral and master's students, as well as a national residency training base for ultrasound medicine. The department has 7 full professors, 16 associate professors, 9 attending physicians, 12 residents, and 3 clinical postdoctoral researchers. Currently, there are 3 doctoral supervisors and 10 master's supervisors. Among physicians under 35, 90% hold doctoral degrees or are currently enrolled in doctoral or master's programs. The department is well-equipped with nearly all top-tier ultrasound diagnostic and interventional treatment devices worldwide. The department has strong medical capabilities, with ultrasound diagnosis and interventional treatment at the forefront nationally and internationally, conducting over 500,000 examinations annually and approximately 7,000 interventional procedures, undertaking key medical tasks such as high-level health care and foreign guest medical services. Examinations include abdominal, small organ, vascular, obstetric, and interventional procedures, with many being consultations for difficult cases. As a platform department, it maintains close ties with other departments, actively promoting multidisciplinary collaboration at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, achieving numerous results, including two China Science and Technology Awards, one Ministry of Education Excellent Scientific and Technological Progress Award, and two Huaxia Medical Science and Technology Awards.

The Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital emphasizes academic exchange and cooperation both domestically and internationally, having hosted and co-hosted major domestic and international conferences, establishing friendly cooperative relationships with many hospitals, promoting the development of the discipline, and making outstanding contributions to the popularization of new ultrasound technologies in China and the improvement of ultrasound physicians' technical levels. In early 2004, it collaborated with the International Breast Ultrasound School to hold the International Breast Ultrasound Symposium; at the end of 2004, it successfully hosted the World Medical Ultrasound and Biology Conference Education Training Meeting at Peking Union Medical College Hospital; in 2010, it held a training meeting for the International Society of Obstetric and Gynecological Ultrasound in Beijing. Furthermore, the department has consistently prioritized continuing education, being one of the earliest ultrasound training bases in China. In 1995, it established the Peking Union Medical College - Thomas Jefferson University Ultrasound Education Training Center in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, USA. In 2002, it established the Peking Union Medical College - Philips High-Resolution Digital Ultrasound Imaging Center. In 2003, it set up a clinical training base for ultrasound contrast agents and ultrasound contrast enhancement. In 2007, it launched the Sonoworld China website, providing strong academic guidance and support for Chinese ultrasound physicians. In 2014, it initiated a senior training program, admitting advanced students annually. In 2017, it established the Xiehe-GE ABUS Standardized Remote Reading Center. It has established long-term cooperative exchange relationships with Massachusetts General Hospital, Stanford University, and others. The department has continuously supported the development of ultrasound medicine in Tibet and remote areas, regularly hosting the Xiehe-Tibet Ultrasound Medicine Academic Forum.

The Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital has been a pioneer in both domestic and international diagnostic and treatment projects, including introducing the first and second generations of ultrasound contrast agents to China, conducting intrauterine ultrasound contrast enhancement, utilizing low mechanical index ultrasound imaging technology, and performing focused ultrasound treatment for solid tumors, as well as radiofrequency ablation for liver tumors and pelvic tumors. Currently, ultrasound diagnosis and interventional treatment are at the leading national and international levels. In recent years, new technologies such as ultrasound elastography and ultrasound light scattering tomography have been applied to diagnose difficult breast cases, improving the accuracy of early breast cancer diagnosis. Additionally, the latest real-time three-dimensional ultrasound technology has been introduced into the obstetric field. Upholding the spirit of

the Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital has developed into a national key discipline with ten subspecialty groups, including small organ, vascular, obstetric, and interventional groups, through the efforts of several generations.

In recent years, under the leadership of Professor Jiang Yuxin, multiple research projects have been conducted based on clinical practice needs, participating as a platform department in various national-level research projects funded by the Ministry of Health, National Natural Science Foundation, and other national scientific research initiatives, covering fields such as thyroid, breast, obstetrics, and renal arteries, resulting in over a hundred publications in core journals both domestically and internationally, with dozens indexed by SCI. The department has established a remote consultation teaching center and a virtual teaching center, offering weekly courses for residents, including introductory courses, advanced courses, case discussions, and analyses of misdiagnosed or difficult cases. It has edited over 20 works, including

and

serving as a national demonstration base for postgraduate medical education and training, undertaking numerous national scientific foundation projects, and cultivating a large number of key ultrasound medicine experts and discipline leaders for the country. The ultrasound department is also a unit of the Beijing Remote Ultrasound Consultation Center and a training base for core faculty in standardized residency training in ultrasound medicine.

With the growth of the department and the continuous development of the discipline, multiple subspecialty groups have thrived within the Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

The department serves as the prenatal diagnosis center for Beijing, with Professors Jiang Yuxin, Dai Qing, Meng Hua, and Director Xu Zhonghui being well-known experts in the field of prenatal ultrasound in China. Under the leadership and guidance of Professor Jiang Yuxin, the obstetric group has undertaken research projects under the National Science and Technology Support Program during the 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans, collaborating with several prenatal diagnosis centers in China to promote the development of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis and improve the overall level of prenatal diagnosis in the country, achieving a leading position in prenatal diagnosis.

The vascular group, led by Professor Li Jianchu, is a well-known expert in the field, serving as a member and secretary-general of the Ultrasound Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, chair of the Superficial Organ Committee of the Chinese Physician Association, president of the Ultrasound Specialist Physician Branch of the Beijing Physician Association, and executive director of the Ultrasound Residency Training Committee of the Chinese Physician Association. Under Professor Li Jianchu's leadership, the vascular group has undertaken multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and Beijing Natural Science Foundation, publishing over 70 professional papers, including more than 10 in international SCI journals. The group has edited four monographs and received two provincial and ministerial scientific and technological progress awards. Notably, a series of research achievements in renal artery stenosis have been transformed into a complete and mature set of color Doppler ultrasound examination standards, establishing diagnostic criteria for renal artery stenosis grading.

The breast group, led by Professors Jiang Yuxin and Zhu Qingli, has conducted systematic and in-depth research on the early diagnosis of breast cancer since 1996, covering aspects from basic research to clinical application, early diagnosis to clinical treatment and prognosis assessment, pioneering multiple new technologies in clinical application over more than a decade, achieving significant results. In clinical research, it has established ultrasound diagnostic strategies for breast cancer suitable for national conditions, developed multiple new ultrasound technology examination processes and diagnostic standards, and determined comprehensive diagnostic strategies and follow-up assessment methods for early breast cancer suitable for China's context. In basic research, it has studied the functional imaging of tumor neovascularization in breast cancer and its regulatory mechanisms. The group has conducted effective and high-level promotional work for early breast cancer ultrasound diagnosis across the country and in Beijing, publishing hundreds of high-level academic papers in authoritative international imaging journals and domestic core journals, leading the formulation of multiple national clinical guidelines and expert consensus. It has authored the

and

playing an important role in the standardization of ultrasound professional development and early breast cancer diagnosis. Through the training of graduate students, advanced students, and hosting national conferences and continuing education programs, it has trained nearly 10,000 personnel, contributing to the overall improvement of ultrasound physicians, especially grassroots ultrasound physicians' levels in breast cancer ultrasound screening and early diagnosis. The ultrasound diagnostic department continuously develops the latest ultrasound diagnostic and treatment projects based on clinical needs. Recent new technologies include ultrasound contrast enhancement for breast tumors, elastography, ultrasound light scattering imaging, and automated breast volume imaging, significantly improving the accuracy of early breast cancer diagnosis.

The gynecology group, including Professors Cheng Yufang, Dai Qing, Cai Sheng, and Director Qi Zhenhong, possesses rich clinical experience in gynecological ultrasound. Professor Dai Qing serves as the deputy chair of the Ultrasound Medicine Professional Committee of the Beijing Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and the deputy secretary-general of the Ultrasound Physician Branch of the Chinese Physician Association, with high proficiency in obstetric and gynecological ultrasound diagnosis and the clinical application of new ultrasound technologies, including ultrasound contrast enhancement and three-dimensional ultrasound. The group has accumulated considerable experience in clinical gynecological ultrasound examinations. In terms of new technology applications, it has applied intravenous ultrasound contrast enhancement technology for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant gynecological tumors and trophoblastic diseases, three-dimensional ultrasound assessment of pelvic diseases, and ultrasound diagnosis and classification of cesarean scar pregnancies. In recent years, Associate Professor Tan Li has developed pelvic ultrasound for evaluating pelvic floor dysfunction diseases, discovering and assessing injuries to the levator ani and anal sphincter.

The interventional group, led by Professors Jiang Yuxin, Cai Sheng, and Lü Ke, has achieved a leading level in the country, performing approximately 7,000 interventional procedures annually. Daily work includes ultrasound-guided biopsy punctures for solid and cystic lesions in the abdomen and pelvis, solid and cystic masses in superficial organs, and solid lesions in the thoracic and abdominal cavities; performing biopsies for diffuse lesions in solid organs, such as kidney biopsies for pathological diagnosis and classification of chronic kidney disease, and liver biopsies for various diffuse liver diseases. It also performs ultrasound-guided puncture and drainage for pleural, abdominal, and pelvic effusions, especially for encapsulated effusions or small amounts of effusion, and various cystic masses in the abdomen and pelvis, combining laboratory tests of punctured fluids to clarify the nature of lesions and to perform aspiration, catheter drainage, or sclerotherapy for therapeutic purposes. In addition to the aforementioned routine puncture projects, it has pioneered several treatment projects in the country, including focused ultrasound treatment for solid tumors and radiofrequency ablation for liver and pelvic tumors. The thyroid biopsy technique performs approximately 500 punctures annually, with an accuracy rate of 91%, improving early diagnosis of thyroid cancer to an internationally advanced level. Furthermore, the hospital has conducted the earliest ultrasound-guided chorionic villus sampling and percutaneous fetal venous puncture in the country, which won the second prize of the China Medical Science and Technology Award in 2005 and is now included in routine clinical practice. With the widespread use of ovulation induction drugs and assisted reproductive technologies, the incidence of multiple pregnancies has increased. The department collaborates with the anesthesia department to perform painless reduction of multiple pregnancies under ultrasound guidance, which shortens operation time, reduces complications, and increases success rates. This work won the third prize for medical achievements at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in 2007.

The abdominal group is a team with rich clinical experience and strong research innovation capabilities, providing routine examinations of abdominal solid organs and tissues, detecting diffuse or focal lesions, and offering corresponding evidence for the diagnosis of some systemic diseases. In recent years, this group has successfully pioneered clinical and research work on ultrasound contrast enhancement, elastography, and three-dimensional ultrasound in the country, completing several departmental research projects and publishing numerous papers and monographs. Notably, the abdominal application of ultrasound contrast enhancement not only provides a new imaging method with diagnostic accuracy comparable to enhanced CT but also gained the trust and welcome of clinical doctors and patients due to its non-radioactive, non-nephrotoxic, and high safety profile. Recent examination projects include ultrasound contrast enhancement for pancreatic, gallbladder, and kidney tumors, ultrasound diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, endoscopic ultrasound diagnosis of rectal masses, ultrasound elastography detection and quantitative assessment of fatty liver, and ultrasound elastography and quantitative assessment of pancreatic tumors.

The thyroid group, led by Dr. Xia Yu and Dr. Zhang Bo, are nationally recognized experts with unique insights into the benign and malignant differentiation of thyroid tumors. Recent new technologies and research include thyroid ultrasound contrast enhancement and elastography, three-dimensional imaging of the thyroid, and molecular ultrasound imaging of the thyroid.

The andrology group is a relatively new team, but its diagnostic and research levels are among the top in the country. The department has conducted the most standardized vascular active drug injection penile Doppler ultrasound examinations in the country to differentiate vascular erectile dysfunction and has promoted this across the nation. The department has accumulated experience in diagnosing obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermia.

The road ahead is indeed challenging, but we are stepping forward anew. Currently, the Department of Ultrasound Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital is developing rapidly and steadily, continuously contributing to the advancement of ultrasound medicine in China.