The Department of Otolaryngology at Zhejiang University Fourth Hospital was established with full support and assistance from the Department of Otolaryngology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Professor Yang Beibei, Director of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Second Affiliated Hospital, serves as the academic leader. He Jianguo, Deputy Director of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, serves as the Department Director. The department currently comprises two associate chief physicians, four senior attending physicians, four resident physicians, and six specialized technicians, forming a highly qualified professional team. The department has repeatedly organized national and provincial medical continuing education courses, applied for several municipal and provincial research projects, and been selected to join the China Alliance for Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment of Nasal and Cranial Base Diseases (CASSD).
The department offers specialized outpatient clinics, including general outpatient services, expert consultations, a specialized clinic for hearing impairments, and a clinic for sleep disorders and snoring.
I. Outpatient Examinations
1. The Department of Otolaryngology at our hospital features an Endoscopy Center and an Audiology Center (including a pure-tone audiometry room, a speech audiometry room, a neurophysiological audiometry room, and a vestibular function testing room). The outpatient department is equipped with advanced hardware: 5 German ATOMS treatment units, 2 OLYMPUS electronic endoscopy systems, 1 Aikon high-definition endoscopy system, Danish Interacoustics clinical audiometers and middle ear analyzers, Ertingmei audiometers and impedance audiometers, a Titan otoacoustic emission (OAE) analyzer, an AABR automatic brainstem screening device, an ECLIPSE brainstem evoked potential (BEP) system, a vestibular-oculomotor system, and a hot-cold air temperature test system. We routinely perform endoscopic examinations of the ear, nose, and throat; comprehensive auditory pathway evaluations; vestibular function tests; post-cochlear implant hearing assessments; newborn hearing screenings; and evaluations of hearing impairments (due to trauma or disability).
2. In late 2020, we officially launched portable sleep apnea monitoring. This service requires no hospitalization; patients can schedule an outpatient appointment, take the device home for use, and return to the clinic the next day to receive their report and follow-up care. This provides a more convenient patient experience for OSAHS patients.
II. Surgical Capabilities and Specialties
The Department of Otolaryngology at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University is equipped with state-of-the-art surgical hardware, including ZEISS surgical microscopes, Storz high-definition nasal endoscopy systems, Medtronic nasal power cutting systems, and Swiss Bionet otologic power systems.
We routinely perform functional endoscopic sinus surgery (e.g., for nasal polyps, sinusitis, and intranasal papillomas); endoscopic balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube; endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy; endoscopic optic nerve decompression; endoscopic adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, and palatopharyngoplasty; video laryngoscopic surgery for vocal cord lesions (e.g., vocal cord polyps, vocal cord nodules, Reiss space edema, etc.); thyroglossal duct cyst excision; Microsurgical modified mastoidectomy and ossicular chain reconstruction (e.g., for tympanic membrane perforation, middle ear cholesteatoma, and external auditory canal cholesteatoma); facial nerve decompression; excision of congenital preauricular fistulas, etc.
Since early 2023, we have been the first in the central Zhejiang region to routinely perform cochlear implant surgeries, addressing hearing loss in the aging population and significantly improving the quality of life for the elderly.
III. Patient-Centered Day Surgery Process
Patients can flexibly schedule all preoperative examinations, be admitted on the day of surgery, and undergo the procedure and be discharged within 24 hours. Currently, our department routinely performs day surgeries for conditions such as nasal polyps and sinusitis, vocal cord polyps, simple otitis media, and simple adenoidectomy (for pediatric snoring).
