Perfect Diary - Visit to Wuxi People’s Hospital of Prof. Rohde, World-class Master in Neurosurgery

From March 9 to 13, Professor Rohde, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, and President of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC) (2022–2024), was invited to visit the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Wuxi People’s Hospital. During his five-day academic exchange as a visiting professor, he conducted ward rounds, surgical guidance, internal training, in-depth discussions on complex cases, and public lectures.

Subsequently, President Gu, Xiaofeng presented the letter of appointment as International Visiting Professor to Prof. Rohde.

After the ceremony, accompanied by Prof. Shao, Junfei, Director of the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center, and other team members, Prof. Rohde visited the outpatient clinic, Cancer Center, Central Laboratory, Heart Center, Pulmonary Center, and Transplant Center. He also had a meeting with Prof. Chen, Jingyu, Deputy President of Wuxi’s People Hospital and Director of Thoracic Surgery.

In the afternoon, Prof. Shao, Junfei gave a detailed introduction to the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center and the Department of Neurosurgery to Prof. Rohde. Subsequently, Prof. Rohde discussed with the members of the Department of Neurosurgery the surgical indications for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s disease, target nuclei, intraoperative monitoring, perioperative management, preoperative assessment methods and equipment, as well as the potential applications of DBS for other disorders and anesthesia approaches. The discussion was lively, and all participating doctors said they gained valuable insights.

During his visit, the team of Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center presented and discussed multiple clinical cases to Prof. Rohde and engaged in in-depth discussions with him on key clinical issues. Particular focus was given to several complex cases, such as glossopharyngeal neuralgia, with detailed exchanges on diagnosis, surgical strategies, and whether intraoperative nerve sectioning should be performed.

Following this, Prof. Rohde and the team of the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center discussed several additional cases of space-occupying lesions, exchanging ideas regarding potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, postoperative follow-up, and comprehensive treatment plans.

During the exchange, Prof. Rohde had a joint outpatient consultation at the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center. The department team made appointments for patients, collected medical histories, and completed imaging and relevant ancillary examinations in advance. Prof. Rohde discussed several key complex cases with the team, including meningioma, trigeminal schwannoma, and craniopharyngioma, covering diagnostic workflows, preoperative planning, intraoperative considerations, perioperative management, postoperative complications, comprehensive postoperative treatment, and follow-up.

After the outpatient clinic, the team of the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center benefited greatly from the exchange, and expressed that Prof. Rohde’s insights and extensive clinical experience provided the team with new ideas and approaches. For certain rare neurological disorders, the cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and treatment strategies shared by Prof. Rohde also offered valuable guidance for the team’s future clinical practice.

During the one-week exchange, Prof. Rohde visited the operating rooms of the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center and provided on-site guidance. During the visit, Prof. Rohde, together with Chen, Kefei, Director of Functional Neurosurgery at the hospital’s Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center, jointly conducted a surgical teaching session, performing microvascular decompression (MVD) on a patient with glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Before the surgery, they discussed patient positioning and surgical incision design. During the surgery, Prof. Rohde demonstrated clear anatomical dissection and precise localization, working seamlessly with Director Chen and the surgical team. The key steps of the procedure were completed in just 45 minutes. They further exchanged insights on specific operative techniques, sharing similarities and differences in the surgical treatment of glossopharyngeal neuralgia between China and Germany , achieving a thorough exchange of clinical experience and expertise.

During the visit, Prof. Rohde delivered an internal lecture on advances in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal vascular lesions and aneurysms. The lecture covered typical pathological features, common surgical strategies, and postoperative follow-up, with detailed analysis based on clinical cases and surgical experience.

After the lecture, Prof. Rohde actively interacted with the attending doctors in a lively discussion, which was highly rewarding. He hoped that the sharing would deepen Chinese doctors’ understanding of spinal vascular diseases and cerebral aneurysms, improve there diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, and better serve patients.

March 13 was the last day of Prof. Rohde’s visit to the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center. Researchers from the department reported their research projects to Prof. Rohde, including: “Mechanistic Study of TMZ Resistance Promoted by CYR61 via Regulation of Neutrophil Recruitment and NET Formation,” “Mechanistic Study of PELO Protein SUMOylation-Ubiquitination Crosstalk in SKIc-destabilized Glioblastoma,”,and “Persistent Post-Traumatic Headache Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: The influences of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Gender.”

After the reports, Prof. Rohde commended the doctors for their research work and discussed further research plans and potential publications with them. He engaged in in-depth exchanges on specific project details and provided targeted suggestions for refining subsequent studies. He highly praised the center’s research capabilities, noting, “It is truly impressive to see so many young doctors dedicated themselves to large-scale experimental work.”

At the end of the visit, the hospital team expressed their sincere gratitude to Prof. Rohde and looked forward to welcoming him back to Wuxi People’s Hospital for further guidance. They will also apply his insights to advance relevant diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. This academic exchange not only introduced internationally advanced concepts and technologies to the Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment Center at Wuxi People’s Hospital, improving both clinical precision and research capabilities, but also helped establish an internationalized framework for the center’s disciplinary developmen, laying a solid foundation for continued Sino-German collaboration in neuroscience and for joint progress in the field.