Introduction to
the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

   Since hepatobiliary and digestive diseases are common in Taiwan, the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Departments have an important role within a hospital’s network. Our Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology was successfully developed under the leadership of Section Chiefs Jiang, Ng, Lee, Liang, and Lin in recent years. Then, the opening of Ultrasonograpy and Endoscopy Center in July, 2015 marked the dawn of a new era for our division.

    In addition to outpatient and admission services and routine ultrasonographic and endoscopic examinations, several new professional services are now offered by our division. Anti-viral therapies for patients with chronic hepatitis B are provided. We use new oral direct-acting antiviral agents to manage chronic hepatitis C patients. A radiofrequency ablative machine for the local treatment of malignant liver tumors is available and new ultrasonographic instruments with advanced imaging functions including Doppler, 3-D reconstruction, and contrast imaging have been added. In the gastrointestinal clinical laboratory, a carbon-13 ﹝13C﹞ infrared analyzer to detect Helicobacter pylori infection and 24 hour pH meters/esophageal manometry for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease are available.

    In the field of therapeutic endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonographic examinations ﹝EUS﹞ are available. The service of EUS-guided aspiration/biopsy for tumor and pseudocyst drainage are established. Early gastrointestinal cancer can be managed endoscopically via such procedures as endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection. Per-oral endoscopic myotomy 〔POEM〕for achalasia can be performed by our experienced endoscopist. Following the establishment of the new Ultrasonograpy and Endoscopy Center, fluoroscopy was made available full time which improved our ability to perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and permitted the performance of various fluoroscopy guided procedures including the placement of stents, stricture dilatation, and new cholangioscopy equipment ﹝SpyGlass﹞.

    Finally, clinical research studies have continued to be an important focus for our department. Our division has performed the largest number of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostromies in Taiwan and we have published our clinical data in peer-reviewed international scientific journals. We also have much experience in the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding and early gastrointestinal neoplasms. We now cooperate with the Intensive Care Units ﹝ICU﹞ of our hospital for studies of stress ulcer prophylaxis and tube feeding. Further, we are engaging in some global and multi-centered studies for the novel treatment of viral hepatitis and Helicobacter pylori. Since our division is qualified for training fellows in the gastrointestinal subspecialty, young physicians are encouraged to receive training in our Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

    Our Division is proud to have developed solid relationships with the other hospital sections. In particular, we have a very close affiliation with the ICU and provide aggressive endoscopic and ultrasonographic interventions for the critical patients. Our division also plays an important role in the fields of oncology, not only for cancer staging but also for active treatment. We now have taken a part in small bowel transplantation team and preparation for establishment of liver transplantation team. It is our aspiration to facilitate the thorough integration of the various medical and surgical divisions to provide excellent care to all gastroenterology and hepatology patients treated in our hospital.