Since its establishment in 1993, the Department of Orthopedics at FAHZU has become one of the largest centers in Zhejiang Province for the diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint injuries as well as musculoskeletal diseases. The department now operates across four campuses—Qingchun, Chengzhan, Yuhang, and Zhijiang—with nine wards and a total of 411 beds. With an annual outpatient volume exceeding 400,000 visits and approximately 25,000 surgeries, it boasts advanced medical equipment and strong technical capabilities. The department is equipped with numerous intelligent diagnostic, surgical assistance, and rehabilitation technologies. It comprises seven specialized centers: the Joint Surgery Center, Sports Medicine Center, Spinal Center, Trauma Center, Bone Tumor Center, Hand Microsurgery Center, and Foot and Ankle Surgery Center. All complex and challenging orthopedic surgeries are comprehensively conducted here. The current department head is Professor HU Yihe.

Talents:

The department currently employs 281 medical staff members, including nine doctoral supervisors and five master's supervisors. Most senior physicians have studied abroad in the United States, Canada, Germany, South Korea, and at domestic locations such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Many doctors hold positions in national and provincial orthopedic and spinal academic committees and serve as reviewers for academic journals. Upholding the rigorous and pragmatic research spirit of FAHZU, the orthopedic department has led two international Aospine projects, over 30 National Natural Science Foundation projects, and more than 50 provincial-level scientific research projects in the past five years. Research findings have received multiple awards from the provincial departments of science and technology, health, and education.

In recent years, FAHZU's orthopedic department has made significant strides in the fields of intelligence and digitalization, establishing itself as a leading center in the country. The hospital has introduced several important smart devices, including Rosa and Mako surgical robots, EOS dual-column low-dose X-ray imaging systems, and arthroscopic systems, significantly enhancing surgical accuracy and safety. Professor HU Yihe's expert team has achieved international levels in personalized orthopedic implant customization, precise reconstruction of complex bone defects, additive manufacturing material research, and orthopedic robot development. Through these technologies, doctors can tailor surgical plans and implants based on individual patient needs, achieving personalized treatment. Additionally, the hospital employs digital means to provide integrated preoperative planning, intraoperative robotic navigation, and postoperative rehabilitation services, significantly improving treatment outcomes.

In 2023, FAHZU's orthopedic department was awarded the "China Silk Road Health International Cooperation Exchange Base." In 2024, it received the titles of "National Health Commission Digital Orthopedic Technology Regional Innovation Promotion Base" and "National Orthopedic Medical Center Joint Surgery Robot Clinical Application Alliance Member Unit." These honors not only affirm the department's past efforts but also provide strong momentum for the hospital's continued progress toward becoming a world-class digital and minimally invasive smart orthopedic center.

Specialized Centers

1. Joint Surgery Center:

The Joint Surgery Center at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (FAHZU) is renowned for its advanced techniques and innovative approaches. It features a team of highly experienced and skilled surgeons who excel in hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, wrist, interphalangeal joints, hip preservation, and knee preservation surgeries. The center performs over 2,000 joint replacement surgeries annually, routinely employing both imported and domestically produced robotic-assisted joint replacements as well as complex revision surgeries. It is a leader in the use of self-developed 3D-printed tantalum implants for revision surgeries.

2. Sports Medicine Center:

The Sports Medicine Center performs over 5,000 arthroscopic surgeries each year, including meniscal repair, cruciate ligament reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, ankle ligament repair and reconstruction, labrum repair, and cartilage damage regeneration. These procedures are minimally invasive, with fast recovery times, and are often conducted as day surgeries, significantly reducing patient downtime.

3. Spinal Center:

The Spinal Center comprehensively treats complex cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine conditions. It performs nearly 5,000 spinal surgeries annually and was the first in the province to introduce minimally invasive spinal endoscopic surgery in 2014. The team routinely conducts microscopic cervical anterior and lumbar posterior surgeries, spinal infection surgery, spinal deformity correction, kyphosis correction, upper cervical realignment and fusion, and ROSA robot-assisted spinal fusion surgeries. Research focuses on lumbar epidemiology, AI-based lumbar MRI diagnosis, and intervertebral disc biological repair.

4. Trauma Center:

The Trauma Center has pioneered a multidisciplinary approach and a green channel for the treatment of polytrauma patients. It performs nearly 5,000 surgeries annually, treating non-united fractures, osteoporotic fractures, acute and chronic osteomyelitis, and large soft tissue defects. The center utilizes minimally invasive techniques for pelvic and acetabular fractures as well as complex tibial plateau fractures, preserving functionality and accelerating recovery.

5. Bone Tumor Center:

Focusing on bone metastases, the Bone Tumor Center offers multidisciplinary standardized treatments. It performs approximately 1,800 surgeries annually, including 400 spinal tumor surgeries. The center conducts en bloc resections of cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral tumors, minimally invasive endoscopic spinal tumor resections, 3D-printed artificial vertebral replacements, and multidisciplinary spinal tumor resection and reconstruction. It specializes in limb-sparing treatments for malignant bone and soft tissue tumors, digital intelligent precision treatments for orthopedic tumors, standardized treatments for bone metastases, and 3D-printed orthopedic implant replacements.

6. Hand Microsurgery Center:

As one of the earliest hand microsurgery centers in Zhejiang Province, the Hand Microsurgery Center excels in treating wrist injuries, restoring hand function, managing peripheral nerve injuries, addressing congenital hand deformities, and treating hand tumors and chronic wounds, as well as emergency hand injuries. The center is particularly adept at arthroscopic wrist surgery, peripheral nerve injury repair, microsurgical limb reconstruction, and the treatment of rare congenital hand conditions.

7. Foot and Ankle Surgery Center:

The Foot and Ankle Surgery Center performs surgeries for foot and ankle traumas, deformities (such as hallux valgus, flat feet, and clubfoot), tendon diseases, chronic ankle sprains, talus cartilage damage, and chronic osteomyelitis. It was among the first in China to conduct ligament repair and reconstruction for acute and chronic ankle instability. Research focuses on minimally invasive treatments for chronic ankle instability, talus cartilage transplantation, severe foot and ankle traumas, and complex deformity corrections.

Expertise

• Joint Surgery: Minimally invasive hip and knee replacements, computer-assisted joint replacements (navigation, robotics), developmental dysplasia of the hip, femoral head necrosis, early osteoarthritis, reverse shoulder replacements, ankle replacements, revision surgeries for aseptic loosening, and peri-prosthetic infections.

• Sports Medicine: Ligament injuries in the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle; cartilage injuries; meniscal injuries; rotator cuff injuries; avascular necrosis of the talus; and femoroacetabular impingement syndrome.

• Spinal Surgery: Cervical and lumbar pain, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, spinal deformities, and minimally invasive spinal surgeries assisted by robots.

• Trauma Surgery: Polytrauma, non-united fractures, osteoporotic fractures, acute and chronic osteomyelitis, and large soft tissue defects.

• Bone Tumor Treatment: Surgical treatments for benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors, en bloc resections of spinal and paraspinal tumors, high-risk spinal tumor resections and reconstructions, limb-sparing surgeries for pelvic and extremity malignant tumors, and comprehensive treatments for bone and soft tissue malignancies and bone metastases.

• Hand Microsurgery: Arthroscopic wrist surgery, microsurgical treatment and functional restoration of hand and wrist injuries, peripheral nerve injuries, and congenital hand deformities.

• Foot and Ankle Surgery: Trauma, deformity corrections (flat feet, hallux valgus, clubfoot), tendon diseases, chronic ankle injuries, and minimally invasive treatments, including ankle osteoarthritis management.

Through these specialized centers and areas of expertise, the Department of Orthopedics at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (FAHZU) continues to innovate and advance in its mission to provide comprehensive and cutting-edge care for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.